Ryou Bakura: Game Master
by DoraCatBuu
Summary: Ryou invites Malik and Yugi over for a day of gaming, but when the Mystics return for revenge, they use his PS2 as a gateway to lure him into a trap. With Nobodies and Time Keepers to help them, can they save their world from the Mystics a third time?
1. Anyone want to play a game?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and right now, he doesn't understand why I chose a PS2 as the base for my story. He also doesn't understand why Ryou's engaged.

Seven months had passed since the last time Domino city, or the world, had been threatened. Seven months had passed since Ryou had proposed to Sith Winchester, and since Yaten finally admitted that the Esper was part of the family now. Seven months passed in relative ease, and Ryou found it to be relaxing. Or more, boring. As he sat in his room, he found that the autumn that year had been particularly boring, and winter wasn't much better. He made an effort to go out with his friends, to celebrate as the wedding crept closer and closer, but other than that, he didn't go out much. Considering the cold, he didn't blame himself. Even Sith, who usually loved the outdoors, didn't leave unless she had to walk Rush or leave for work. And, that morning, Sith was working at Flamenco's, with the added courtesy of leaving a note for Ryou; she had left long before he woke up, and everyone else was missing, as well.

"With Sith gone, now what am I going to do?" Ryou asked, looking at the note. Sith had left to go into work to help train the new workers there, Hana and Sephira. He also read that Katt had left to head to the mall, as Tea had asked for her help with something. Bakura left to buy yet another new shotgun, his second one backfiring when he shot at a bus for having a bird sitting on it. Only Yaten was in the house, and he was asleep at his desk, having spent an all-nighter writing up the bills for the museum. Ryou glanced over at the living room, where a PS2 stood. Yugi had given it to him as a Christmas present to replace the Playstation that Sith had, which Bakura banished one night when she beat him at Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy.

"I suppose I can just play one of her games," Ryou suggested to himself, walking over and smiling, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Or at least, one could always hope. With the wedding coming closer day by day, Sith had begun to get increasingly distant. Especially concerning Ryou. As he walked over to the bookshelf that held their games, he frowned. It'd also been seven months since the blonde man had made his threat. And as Ryou looked around, he realized he was alone. Now wouldn't be a bad time for that man to show up and shoot him. Shivering, he came to a quick idea: just call someone up and invite them over. And as he had just considered playing video games, he had a feeling he knew just who to call. Within minutes, he dialed Yugi's number.

"Hello?" Yugi's voice came across the phone, "Ryou, what's up?"

"Good morning, Yugi," Ryou said cheerfully, "I was wondering if you wanted to come over and play some video games with me. Sith's out, so it's just me here." What he didn't say was that, when he was alone, he was scared shitless. Yugi didn't need to know that. Patiently, he waited. Yugi seemed to be talking to someone on the other side, and then he came back a few moments later.

"Sure. I'll be there in a bit. Just let me tell Yami," he said, and hung up. Ryou smiled, and then decided to call Malik next. Not because Yugi wasn't good company, but if all things went to shit because Sith was gone, he wanted someone handy with a bat. And Malik was handy with a bat. He was also distracted when Ryou called him.

"Malik, do you want to come?" Ryou asked again, when the older man hesitated a little. Malik's lips thinned, and he swallowed a little bit. Then he remembered he was on the phone. He blushed a little.

"Huh? Oh… sure," he replied, and this time the distance was apparent. Ryou gave a sigh, and decided it best to just know what was wrong, if anything.

"Is everything okay? You sound really upset," he pointed out. Malik tugged on his collar nervously, looking over his shoulder. Ryou heard Ishizu screaming at someone, and then heard Ishtar yell back. Now he understood why Malik was nervous. Anyone who was forced to be mediator in his family probably ended up dead. Malik lowered his voice as he explained the problem to his friend.

"Yeah. Ishizu… well, it's her time of the month, and she's kind of…_ absolutely insane_," Malik explained as Ryou heard a crash and then yells of agony, "Holy hell! Ryou, I'll have to get back to you on that! Ishizu just pushed Odion out the window! I have to make sure she didn't kill him… and then I'll need to make sure Ishtar's safe, too." With that, Malik hung up the phone, leaving Ryou to stare at it blankly. Slowly, he hung up and then snorted, wondering if Malik would even make it out of his house alive. Ishizu sounded completely uncontrollable. Shaking his head, he grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and filled it with cereal, sitting at the kitchen table. The meal passed in silence, and relatively quickly, at that. Not that Ryou wasn't used to eating alone, but the thoughts he had earlier would've killed any mood that had been set. So, it was a relief when the doorbell rang as Ryou washed out his bowl. He walked to the front door and opened it. Yugi had shown up, unsurprisingly.

"Hey, Ryou!" he chirped happily, as Ryou let him inside, "What sort of games are we playing?" Leading Yugi into the living room, Ryou took his coat and scarf as Yugi took off his mittens and cap, setting them on a chair. Ryou did the same with the coat, and picked up the cartridge to Final Fantasy VI. Yugi looked at it curiously, having never played the game before, or any others in the series.

"I thought we could play some Final Fantasy. Sith says it's a good game," Ryou replied, as Yugi's eyes lit up, "It's supposed to be multiplayer, I think." Yugi nodded, and another knock sounded at the door as Malik came in carefully, bringing with him a suitcase and his backpack. Ryou and Yugi both eyed him suspiciously; either he was running away or he was moving in with one of them, and conveniently never told them. Ryou knew it was the latter, just like he knew Sith's reaction when she'd find out.

"Malik, are you running away?" Yugi asked, amused. Malik bit his lip and shook his head, putting his stuff down.

"No. Ishizu's out of control. She threw Ishtar and I out of the house for the rest of the week," Malik replied, "Ryou, I hate to ask, but can I crash here for a bit?" Ryou sighed, imagining Sith's complete disapproval again, but he couldn't leave Malik in the cold. After all, Malik was one of his best friends, and whether Sith would admit it, Katt wouldn't leave him out there, either. He nodded.

"All right, but it might not go well with Sith," Ryou reminded him carefully, "She and Katt argue much more when you're around." Malik laughed, knowing that was absolutely true. Ryou smiled, and Malik clapped his back, laughing at the statement.

"I'll try not to annoy Sith so much," Malik said, grinning at the end, "You might want to keep her out of Katt's room after dark, though." Ryou's eyes widened, and he blushed furiously as he understood what Malik meant. He could smell the flames burning his house as Sith set it on fire in his mind, having found out that Malik was staying. His eye twitched at the thought, knowing that if Sith was angry enough, _nothing_ would stop her. And, his expression must've been obvious, for Malik gave another hearty laugh. Ryou frowned. He had to make his boundaries clear: Pissing Sith off wasn't a good one to cross.

"Malik, if you sleep with Katt, Sith's going to kill you," Ryou said quickly, looking at the blonde boy, "And then she'll kill me for letting you stay here." Malik stopped laughing as much and wiped a tear away, still grinning. He didn't expect much less, especially from an older sister, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. For that matter, Ryou's efforts were pretty much wasted, too.

"She's a little late for _that_," Malik said, and Ryou's eyes got even bigger. Malik shivered as he saw Ryou's mortification turn to fury, and decided to change the subject immediately as he asked, "So, what're we doing?" Ryou twitched again. He didn't like that Malik was purposely avoiding that subject after spilling the beans, but for the sake of sanity, and having a good time, he humored his friend.

"We're going to play a video game," Ryou said slowly, his mind still focused on what Malik had told him, which he knew he could never relay to Sith unless he wanted a death wish. Malik nodded, narrowing his eyes in amusement at how cautiously Ryou was speaking. At first, he wondered if Sith might've actually been close by, but there had been no signs of her. He glanced at the stairs, half expecting her to rush down and spear him with her sword, but he was disappointed. He raised a brow.

"Where _is_ Sith and Katt, anyway?" he asked, "I'd like to tell them I'm staying here."

"Katt's at the mall with Tea," Ryou said blandly, crossing his arms as he handed the game to Yugi, "As for Sith, she's at work. She has to train two new workers that Pierre hired for Flamenco's." Malik nodded, grinning at the fact that he would be able to live for at least a few more hours until Sith had come home.

"So Pierre did give her the job back?" Yugi asked, and when Ryou nodded, he said, "Good! I mean, Yami kind of misses working with her, but we're both glad she's doing well." Ryou nodded. He knew Yami had always taken care of his friendship with Sith, and though he hated giving her up, Yami had also known Sith preferred to be a waitress rather than selling cards. He gladly let her leave so she could get the job she wanted. Malik didn't appear to listen to that, though. He looked around again, this time searching for something else.

"So then where's Bakura?" he inquired, "Did he get jailed again?" Ryou snorted, and then shook his head. The thought would be amusing, but thankfully, Bakura hadn't caused too much trouble… at least, not yet.

"No. I won't be surprised if he manages to be jailed soon, but for now, he's not," Ryou replied, "But he's working toward another shotgun, and we all know how that works out. Whenever he starts ranting and shooting at birds, a cop either arrests him, or Sith finds a way to break his gun. You'd think he'd learn his lesson by now." Malik laughed and shook his head as well, recalling the many times Bakura had gotten into trouble. The most hysterical by far was when Bakura actually managed to crash one of Kaiba's many parties, albeit an out-of-control one.

"No. This _IS_ Bakura, after all," Malik replied, "He won't learn anything until he gets himself… re-killed by it." Ryou laughed, and as Malik walked over to the PS2, he said, "So, are we going to play or should we stand around gossiping?" Ryou's lips thinned with annoyance, as Malik really was the one that had distracted them in the first place. Sighing, he turned to Yugi, who was looking at the game cover, admiring the artwork.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Ryou asked. Yugi nodded and popped the game into the machine as Ryou hooked up two controllers, taking the first one for himself. Malik grabbed the second one and sat down as the game itself loaded. They were greeted with a very creepy organ solo, along with crashes of thunder as the game title appeared on the television.

"How many players is it?" Yugi asked, sitting next to Malik as they watched the opening credits. Ryou looked at the back of the box, reading the features it contained.

"Two-player. We'll need to take turns," he replied, loading up his game file when he was prompted. He had only been playing for thirty minutes game time, and he paled when he saw that Sith's file managed over forty hours. He would never catch up with her. When the game loaded, he went into the configuration menu and made it so that Malik could play with him. He set Malik to play as Locke, and he himself took the girl, Terra.

"So, what do we do?" Malik asked, pressing the directional buttons, making Locke move in random directions. Ryou looked up, trying to remember what he last did on the game, but he hadn't played in a while. This was one time he wished he could call Sith; she would probably know. But then again, this wasn't something he couldn't figure out on his own. He blushed in slight embarrassment.

"Well, I think I left the first town already, so I think we head toward… I can't remember the name, but the only way to go is south, so let's do that," he suggested, feeling the words had been obvious. Malik nodded, though he didn't actually know what to do. He made their characters head south until the screen flashed, prompting the battle music. And because only Ryou had played Final Fantasy, only he expected the battle music that ensued.

"What the hell!?" Malik exclaimed, having never actually played a video game in his life. Ryou snickered at the sheer exasperation in Malik, and Yugi actually just started laughing. Malik glared at them both, wondering just what the hell he did that was so amusing. To him, this was an entirely new thing to get used to. To him, they were being assholes.

"Relax. It's just a random encounter," Ryou replied, but when Malik still looked completely perplexed, he said, "We have to kill those monsters to continue." Malik nodded, narrowing his eyes and grinning wickedly. Ryou didn't comment on the fact that he looked just about as insane as Ishtar was. He didn't even want to know what Malik was grinning about.

"Fine. Let's banish them," Malik said, but when he found that all Locke could do was attack, he yelled, "How the hell do you banish these things!?" Yugi wanted to laugh again, but a quick shake of Ryou's head told him not to. Ryou simply glanced at Malik.

"You don't. You have to attack," he replied calmly, pressing a button so that Terra attacked a small rabbit-like monster, killing it, "There's no way to banish anything on this game." Malik's mouth slanted.

"Good thing Bakura and Ishtar aren't here to play," he grumbled, as he made Locke attack, "They hate games where you can't kill in one blow." Ryou nodded, knowing fully that Bakura hated most of the games Sith played, simply because he couldn't set everything on fire without at least something surviving the battle. As the screen switched over to the world map, Yugi stood up.

"Ryou, I'm going to get some soda, okay?" Yugi asked, and when Ryou nodded, smiling at him, he walked into the kitchen. Malik put down his controller and stood up as well.

"I'm going to get something to drink as well. I'll be back," he stated. Ryou nodded, and Malik followed Yugi to the kitchen. He waited patiently. Malik was the first one back, with Yugi close behind carrying two cans of soda, but when they reached the living room, no one was in there. Malik raised a slender brow again, looking around to be _absolutely sure_ Ryou wasn't hiding on them. But again, he wasn't there. Which was wrong. No one had heard him move, and though he was always quiet, they'd have heard him going up the stairs or outside. Both boys frowned as they realized this.

"Ryou, where are you?" Yugi called, but Ryou didn't respond. Malik clenched his fists and ran through the first floor, shouting Ryou's name. That did about as well as Yugi's idea. Ryou still didn't respond. Malik came back to the living room, and looked at Yugi seriously.

"He's not here, and we would've heard if he went up the stairs," he stated grimly, "Do you think he ran outside?" Yugi glanced out the window for a second; there was snow on the ground, and the wind was blowing a thin mist of the white abomination through the city. In Yugi's mind, if Ryou did go out there, he was an idiot. But Yugi was too nice to say that. He turned back to Malik.

"Why would he? It's freezing out there!" he exclaimed, shivering at the mere thought, "But we'd better go look, just in case. I'll turn the game off." Walking over, Yugi tried to switch off the PS2, but it didn't shut down. It seemed to be frozen in place. Another bad sign. Biting his lip, and afraid to actually say what a bad sign that was, Yugi said, "…Malik, I can't shut it off." Malik raised a worried eyebrow, and walked over, pressing the button. To him, shutting anything down was a simple task. Even Joey understood how that worked. But, as if to prove him wrong, the game station didn't power down in any way. He wanted to curse.

"Damn it, shut down!" Malik said angrily, and then turned to Yugi, "This thing is possessed! Do you think somehow, it dragged Ryou into it?" Yugi gave Malik a very odd stare, wondering just how that could actually happen, but there was no other explanation he could conceive of. Well, no other one that he wanted to state. He took a deep breath.

"If it did, we're in trouble," Yugi said, "Sith's going to slaughter us if she finds out Ryou's missing. What do we do?" Malik looked around frantically for any ideas, but he didn't want to unplug the machine in case it did something to the electrical supply. Finally, he reached an idea, even if it was a rather destructive one. He turned to Yugi again.

"Go find a bat," he said grimly, "I'm going to dismantle this machine my own way." Yugi nodded and ran to the coat closet. No bats existed, nor did he think Malik could successfully lift a vacuum cleaner, so he closed it and went to another closet in the kitchen. This time, he found a sturdy, solid wooden bat, and handed it to Malik.

"Make sure it cracks!" Yugi exclaimed. Malik nodded, and swung the bat over his head.

"_DIE, YOU SOUL-STEALING FIEND FROM HELL!_" Malik roared, whacking the PS2 over and over with the bat, which slowly began to splinter from the force Malik was using. Eventually, the bat broke, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere, but the PS2 was completely unharmed. Yugi stared at it, wide-eyed, as Malik glared angrily, wishing the machine would blow up with just a look. Both of them knew very well that anything so delicate really should've been destroyed by then.

"Now what!?" Yugi cried. Malik huffed angrily as he threw the broken bat down. Physical force just wasn't working for him. He needed something with firepower, and he knew the one person who'd have it. Albeit, illegally.

"Go into Bakura's room and get anything heavy or explosive," Malik commanded, "One of them _has_ to work. If blunt trauma won't do anything, a nice hack 'n slash or a shooting should take care of it." Yugi nodded, and ran up the stairs as Malik relayed every curse in his language that he could remember. Yugi opened the door into Bakura's room, surprised to find that it was much cleaner than he would've expected. He laughed as he thought about Sith constantly nagging Bakura to clean up. He ran inside, and looked around. Books upon books lined Bakura's shelves, as did various tools and artifacts that Yugi had never seen before. But he saw no weapons.

"Oh, come on. I know Bakura has something dangerous in here!" Yugi cried, looking at the desk, "Aha!" He spotted an old, unpolished musket on the desk, which he guessed Bakura either conned or simply stole from a collector. He grabbed it, praying that it was loaded. It definitely felt heavy enough. Leaving the room, he ran down the stairs and into the living room, but Malik was nowhere in sight either.

"Malik!?" Yugi called, "Malik, I got the gun! Seriously, where are you!?" He glanced around, but Malik was nowhere in the room, nor did he hear anything from the kitchen or the bathroom. Finally, he eyed the PS2, which was still running as he said, "It… it got them both!" Frantically, he ran into the kitchen, hoping that they were hiding somewhere, but no one was around. Yugi even went so far as to look in the basement, but found nothing except a small room that was used for washing clothes. Yugi ran back through the kitchen and into the living room, glaring at the PS2.

"You did this! I know you did!" Yugi yelled, aiming the musket, "I'm going to kill you! Yami won't approve, but I don't need his approval to murder something! Die, you evil pile of data!" Yugi pulled the trigger and proceeded to pelt the PS2 with hails of bullets, but not even that seemed to be affecting it as it flashed. Finally, Yugi dropped the gun, shielding his eyes against the bright light. He could barely see that it was emitting from the PS2 itself, but before he could even ponder on how to stop it, darkness overcame him as he felt himself being sucked into another dimension.

It felt like an eternity later when all three boys began to wake up out of their trances, but as they looked around, they realized they were no longer in Ryou's house, or even in Domino City altogether. They sat outside in a large, vast field just outside of a forest. Ryou saw tiny rabbits hopping along, glancing at them and then sprinting away when he looked back. The air smelled fresh, but something still worried Ryou despite the peace. He looked at his friends, and then himself, realizing that they no longer wore their normal clothing. Yugi was in a small suit of iron armor, carrying a small sword across his back. Malik was in a blue tunic with black pants and hiking boots, but all that adorned him for weapons were gloves on his fists. Ryou himself was in leather armor, and he brandished a long, pulsing gun. His eyes widened; he didn't want to know just what the hell had happened.

"Where are we?" he asked, "Where is my house, and why're we dressed like this?" He tried to get up, but found that he couldn't move. Yugi and Malik were the same way, proven when Malik grunted as he tried to stand up, unable to move. Glancing up, they all saw a large screen hanging from the sky, but inside that screen simply depicted Ryou's living room. Or, what was in front of the television. And to his dismay, Ryou saw that no one else was around.

"What the hell is going on?" Malik whispered. Ryou looked down grimly, finally understanding what was happening. They had been sucked into his video game, or, what was more likely, another world. And he hated it. That meant one inevitable thing: _something_ was behind this, and that _something_ would be trying to kill him. He frowned; his very first thought went to the blonde man. And then to a Mystic. Not wanting to freak his friends out, he stuck to just the bare facts.

"We're stuck in the game," he said emotionlessly, wishing that he had just stayed in bed that morning, "And we can't move because no one is using the controller." Yugi's eyes watered, but Malik didn't appear to understand the problem as he laughed.

"Cool! This is just like Kaiba's virtual games, aren't they?" Malik asked, and Ryou shook his head, which made Malik's enthusiasm drop like a brick.

"No. This is bad, Malik," Ryou replied grimly, "In Kaiba's game, our minds are transferred as data. We wouldn't die if we were in his game. But this one? Our bodies were sucked into this game. If we die here, I'm going to bet we actually die." Malik's eyes widened in horror at the thought. He had a lot to live for, and he didn't want to wind up dead before he could even move out of his house. He wanted to find whoever was responsible and destroy them, if anyone had caused this. But, there was nothing he could do. All three of them were frozen solid.

"How do we get out?" Yugi asked, after they each thought about how to right their situation.

"My father's asleep, but if we yell, he might be able to hear us," Ryou suggested. Yugi seemed to agree, but Malik simply stared at Ryou as though he had suggested they perform Seppuku on themselves.

"Are you crazy!? That'll never work!" Malik exclaimed, but when Ryou glared, he added, "It's all we have, though. Let's hope our voices can carry it." Nodding, the three of them filled their lungs with as much air as they could, bellowing as loudly as they could, but to no avail. Yaten didn't appear to hear them, and after an hour, they were forced to stop when their throats began to get sore. However, to their luck, Sith entered the house, along with two other girls Ryou didn't recognize. He guessed they were her new co-workers, though, for they also had the same waitress suits Sith was wearing.

"Ryou, I'm home," Sith said kindly, taking off her coat, "Ryou?" She noticed the television, and her game, was on, but she ignored it for the moment as she walked through the first floor, calling for Ryou's name. When she came back with still no signs, she said, "Ryou, if you don't come out this instant, I'm going to burn your dinner." Inside the game, Ryou's lips thinned with absolute dislike for the threat. Nothing was worse than Sith's cooking when burnt; it tended to make whoever ate it ill. But he knew he couldn't ignore her. He took a deep breath, and spoke to her.

"Sith, I'm in here," he said weakly. Sith blinked, looking for where the voice had come, but she saw nothing of him in the room. He coughed, and finally, she turned to the television, where the voice had originated from. There, Ryou sat on the ground in pixilated sprites. Sith's eyes widened, and she walked as close as she could, leaning in as close as she could toward the screen.

"Ryou!?" she asked, "How did you… get in there?" Carefully, the three explained what had happened. Ryou's plans, the game, their sudden disappearance, their frantic attacks on the machine, and then when they woke up. Sith listened intently, but when they were done, the only thing she could say was, "You were brought to another world. And that playstation was used to do it." Ryou frowned. He knew it. He had known the instant he woke up, and he wanted to rip his hair out from it, too. He looked away, not wanting Sith to even sense that.

"You don't think it's another attack, do you?" he asked. Sith sighed. She didn't want to tell him what she truly thought, but she knew hiding it was far worse. She closed her eyes for only a minute, opening them when she gave a grim nod.

"…yes, Ryou. Unfortunately, I do," she replied, frowning, "But don't worry. I'm going to get you out. We'll sort this out before anything terrible happens," she turned to one of the girls and said, "Hana, come here and help me. You have a bit of knowledge on this game, don't you?" Hana, who was the slightly shorter of the two girls, nodded and walked over.

"A little bit," she said, and then looked at Ryou, "I'm Hana, by the way. I work with Sith in Flamenco's. That's Sephira over there. Nice to meet you." Ryou nodded, smiling weakly. This wasn't exactly the time to be introducing himself to her friends, but Ryou didn't want to be rude. And, neither did Sith.

"A pleasure," Ryou replied. He looked up at Sith, but her expression told him now wasn't the time to make friends. And he knew she was right. He also knew she didn't need to say 'we have to get moving' for him to understand that. He also knew he didn't need to say 'then move us' for her to do it. A whole argument between them passed in just a moment, inside their minds, before Sith began to move Ryou, and the others, to where they had to go.

"So, where do we go?" Malik asked, as they walked through the small forest. Though Sith couldn't see it, many of the small birds and rabbits looked at the group, and scurried off before they could initiate a fight. Ryou didn't blame them. He knew if he were them, he'd rather be a coward than be dead. Sith considered Malik's question as she continued to move them, not particularly worried at the lack of monsters roaming around.

"South of where you are is the kingdom of Figaro," she replied calmly, "I'm not sure what could be there now that you're in the game, but originally, there is a lot of plot exposition there. What my guess is, to get you all out, we need to beat this game."

"Who do we have to kill?" Yugi asked, as they entered a barren desert. Sand whipped up around them, obscuring their view, but to Sith, she simply led them perfectly through the desert; she couldn't see the sandstorm, and though Ryou was glad for that, he was just a little jealous of that, too. He'd rather have been in the dead of winter, in his comfy house. Sith herself just took a deep breath.

"The main villain is named Kefka," she explained sternly, "Clichéd as it is, he's trying to take over the world, and the main point is to stop him. I just wish I could transfer the data over, because my file is very close to the end of the game." Ryou nodded, remembering how long her game time recorded onto her file. He suddenly felt very glad that she was playing, because she obviously had known what to do, unless those forty hours were spent overleveling her characters while she blundered with the plot. Malik, however, snickered. Not for the same thoughts Ryou had, though, something Ryou was happy for. Sith would've been horribly offended if Malik laughed at _her_.

"Kefka? The man's name is Kefka?" Malik asked, laughing, "That has got to be the worst name I have ever heard. I almost feel sorry for him!" Sith narrowed her eyes as she straightened her glasses, frowning. Ryou suddenly felt that Sith would've been insulted anyway; even if Malik wasn't laughing at her, he wasn't taking this seriously, and she definitely was.

"If you don't want to, I'll shut the game off," she threatened, though she only meant it to be a joke. Ryou screamed. He didn't find it funny in the least.

"Sith! _No_! Please!" Ryou pleaded, his eyes wide with terror. Normally, Sith wouldn't even threaten to put him in such danger, but if her anger was high enough… he knew she'd back the threat in a moment of irritation. But her flat look told him she wasn't actually serious about it.

"Ryou, it was a joke," she said, "I would never put you all in such danger like that. Now, let's get this over with. I've played this game enough to know the plot by heart." Turning to Hana, who nodded, Sith resumed playing. Ryou was forced to go south at Sith's command, but if anything, their newest adventure was the last thing on Ryou's mind at the moment, and the last thing he wanted to even think about. Silently, he ranted on about his adventure, and out loud, he simply said one thing.

"Can't we go for a year without being dragged into danger?" He looked up, and noticed Sith looking at him gravely. Obviously, that just hurt her feelings a little. Even if he didn't say it, he knew magic was the reason for this. Sith was magic. Suddenly, Ryou no longer wanted to know the answer to his question. He just wanted to go home.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, what Ryou hoped to be a normal day with his friends ended up being turned into a new, whacky adventure that nearly cost him his life! But, with Sith, who has proven herself to be a great gamer against Bakura on Ryou's side, does he still stand a chance? What of her two co-workers? Can they be of assistance? And what exposition will they find in Figaro? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	2. Mystic Number Three: Falnika the Wicked

DISCLAIMER: I don't own YGO or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi and SquareSoft do respectively, and neither approve of Ryou being in it.

The trip hadn't been too long. As Sith led them down the southern path, through the sparse forests, plains, and eventually through a huge desert toward their next destination, Ryou saw that it really hadn't taken long to get there. And he thought that was probably a good thing. For, the sooner they did get out, the sooner they could figure out what trapped them there in the first place. During their walk, he hadn't wanted to tell Sith what his fears concerning this was: that something else had come to play a game against her. But the deeper they went, the stronger the fear actually became. And he was assuming Sith could help him, too. As soon as the castle came into view, Ryou heard Sith arguing with someone. And when he looked up, he saw she was. Hana was trying to move Ryou's team elsewhere, defending with the fact that they needed to level up. But Sith, who technically should've been in charge, argued that the sooner they were out of the game, the better it was. Ryou wasn't entirely sure who he should be agreeing with on that one; both women had incredibly valid points. And it did look like Sith was losing, too.

"Hana, give me that controller. I've played this game, I know how it works," the Esper growled. Hana had snatched her controller away from her, despite that the game was on two-player mode, and despite that it was still Sith's house and she was allowed to be first player. Hana simply scoffed, keeping the controller away from Sith's outstretched hand. Which was, in Ryou's opinion, not a smart idea.

"No! Ryou and the others need to level up, and you're not doing anything about it!" Hana yelled back, "If he dies, it's _your_ fault!" Ryou raised his hand inside the TV, hoping that anything he said might be able to break up their argument and make them return to the game. Only Sith seemed to notice his tiny movement, and only when he spoke did they both actually acknowledge him.

"I'd like to point out that this is actually my game, so it's _my_ fault," he reminded them, nervously. Both women turned toward the television, both glaring at him. He shrank back, not knowing which one to be more afraid of. Hana's eyes looked cold, her shoulders stiff with rage, but Sith's eyes were _red_, and her ears had lowered a great deal. Both looked ready to snap and kill the other.

"Shut up!" Hana yelled to him as Sith said, "Silence, Ryou!" Then, realizing that both had screamed at him at the same time, scaring him even further, they turned back to each other, both furious with the other. Sith, unfortunately for Hana, was a much faster speaker; she got the next word in.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to Ryou like that," Sith growled furiously, her eyes narrowing even more. Hana reeled back, her eyes widened, unable to believe Sith, of all people, would say that to her. She just _did the same damn thing!_ Even Ryou was a little surprised at Sith for that.

"Hey! You yelled at him too!" Hana cried in defense, throwing her arms up. Ryou silently laughed, knowing that such a statement rarely had any effect on how Sith treated him, and he hardly thought Hana could convince her now when even his father failed to do so. Not that she treated him badly; mostly, she just pointed out _very bluntly_ when she didn't like what anyone else did. That was becoming more frequent lately, too. Sith simply raised an eyebrow, wondering just what Hana was aiming for.

"He's my fiancé. And he's my friend. If I want to tell him to shut his mouth, I certainly will," Sith replied, crossing her arms. Hana's frown deepened, as everyone looked at Sith in either amusement or confusion. That was something _everyone_ was used to. Mainly because she did it so often. Finally, though, Malik had to stress that they needed to keep going. He threw a tiny pixel rock at the screen, and Sith turned toward him.

"As much as I love to see you two kill each other over all of us, we have to beat this game, don't we?" he reminded her. Sith looked down, knowing he was right, but before she could actually react, Sephira bent down and picked up the first controller, prompting a glare from Sith. Sephira simply ignored her, however.

"Leave it to me!" the young girl exclaimed cheerfully, pressing whatever button she felt without actually knowing what she was doing. Ryou spun around, unable to know just where he was going, and soon, he felt as though he would be sick as circles appeared above his head. Sith's eye twitched, and finally, she stopped her friend.

"Sephira, stop!" she said sternly, "You're making him sick!" Which wouldn't have made much difference if she hadn't done a damn thing. Ryou had already thrown up, and right all over one of the guards. Sith stared in complete disbelief, and when the guard began to chase Ryou, anger getting the better of him, she glared at Sephira again. In her mind, this wouldn't have happened if she played solo. Only the sound of all three boys yelling caught her attention again as she turned sharply to the screen.

"_SITH!_" they all screamed, as the guard finally caught them, initiating a battle. Cursing in a language Ryou could only assume as the Esper language, Sith took the second controller before Hana could stop her. Since Yugi's agility was so high, he moved first, and he was who Sith happened to be controlling. She was about to decide when Ryou shot Yugi with his gun. Sephira gasped at the sight, but Sith simply frowned. She expected that, and it was clear only she alone had expected it. Even Malik looked up at her in terror at what happened.

"Why did he do that!? I didn't give him that command!" Sephira cried frantically, pressing buttons as though something had actually happened. Unfortunately, all she managed was to waste Malik's turn. Sith clenched her fists, praying for patience as she turned back toward Sephira.

"He's afflicted with 'confusion," she replied simply, "Because of your actions. And unless we cure it, he'll continue attacking whatever target he can until the battle is over." Sephira blinked, understanding just what that meant. She started feeling bad for not letting Sith lead, as now they had a problem: Ryou might actually kill everyone.

"How do we cure it?" she asked. Sith said nothing, rather she had Yugi simply use a Remedy on Ryou, which cured him. Then, when his turn came back, Sephira had Ryou attack the guard, and he managed to score a critical hit, thusly ending their first battle. Sephira and Hana both cheered, but Sith didn't look nearly as thrilled about it. Ryou didn't blame her. He could've really killed everyone if she hadn't taken the controller. He wanted to pat her shoulder, but they were in different worlds now, which only made them both that much more annoyed with the situation.

"Sith, should we continue on?" he asked, looking up at her. She nodded, closing her eyes as she allowed herself a minute to calm down. The screen switched back to the world, and the guard's sprite seemed to vanish. Ryou wasn't surprised by that. He probably actually killed the man. Sith opened her eyes and nodded, looking at Ryou.

"We should. Let's go," she said grimly, pushing the UP button. Ryou smiled gently, walking upwards toward a set of two doors. None of the guards stopped him, though they did look very worried for their dead friend; Ryou guessed they were probably worried he'd kill _them_, too. Gently, he opened the two doors, and while the hallways were still visible, something _creeping along the walls_ blurred, and some of the tiles were missing, as though the castle had fallen apart on the inside and hadn't been fixed. Ryou raised a brow, but when he heard Sith gasp, his initial curiosity became fear. Nothing generally took Sith by surprise, but this had. Which meant something was wrong.

"Um… what's going on?" Malik asked, looking around as white swirls appeared when they stepped into the hall, "Sith, what're all these numbers?" As he spoke, numbers and letters, as well as other symbols, scrolled through the screens. Sith, in sheer horror, recognized them all to be binary and codes to the game that made it possible to play. Or for the game to be working at all. Even Ryou could tell what that meant. Something was destroying the game. And Sith's answer confirmed it.

"Those are the codes that make the game work," she whispered, and Hana looked at her seriously, her words sparking their fear, "This game… it appears to be corrupted. We have to get out. _Now_." Eyebrows furrowing with determination, Sith pressed the O and DOWN buttons, making Ryou run down the hall. It was excruciating for him; every step he took felt like something was being ripped from his body. Upon his third cry, Sith had to stop. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew when she was hurting him.

"Sith, stop! I… it feels like I'm being slashed to pieces!" Ryou cried in agony. Sith's eyes hardened critically, looking into Ryou's watered ones, and she looked in the menu screen. Ryou, Malik, and Yugi each were in critical condition, none having more than 6 HP left. But that wasn't their only problem now, as Sith investigated the jumbled names. Or at least tried to.

"What in the seven levels…" Sith started, looking through the Item menu, "What in hell is this?" As she looked, none of the names of anything were the same. They were replaced with symbols no one could begin to guess. The magic menu was the same, even though she knew only Ryou had one spell. But even so, she didn't recognize it at all, and it was one she couldn't use. Fear gripped her, as Hana looked at the screen. Unless she could understand the code for the items themselves, she couldn't heal any of them.

"Should we go get a guide and see what's wrong?" Hana asked, placing a hand on Sith's shaking shoulder. Sith turned to face her, and nodded. In actuality, she didn't know just what a guide could do about something like this, but anything had to help them. She highly doubted the internet would have answers to problems this bad. Hana withdrew, as Sith looked absolutely terrified, something that everyone in the room rarely ever saw. It made them even more fearful. Still shaking, Sith looked down at the PS2.

"…yes. I'd suggest getting another disc, but we can't risk deleting Ryou and the others," Sith replied after a minute of thought, "But where can we find one? This game is quite old, at least by ten years. I doubt they sell guides for it." Frustrated, she gripped her skirt. Yugi, however, smiled, and Ryou looked over at him, wondering just what the boy saw that was making him so happy.

"I think my grandpa has a guide for this game somewhere! I saw one for Final Fantasy in the back room. Think it'll help?" Yugi asked. Sith was about to explain that the guides were very specific, but Sephira jumped up happily, stopping her instantly.

"Then Hana and I can go and get it!" she exclaimed, clapping Hana on the shoulder, who gave her a slight look of annoyance, "Sith, will you be okay by yourself?" Sith snorted, raising a brow. If anything, being alone would make the ordeal go faster, but she knew saying that would offend them both. She sighed, forcing a smile. It _looked_ convincing, but Ryou knew better. He could sense her unhappiness.

"Yes. I'm an expert at RPGs, and this series in particular," Sith replied, standing up, "I'll focus on getting as far as I can, and you both go and find this guide. They should have troubleshooting problems." What she didn't tell them was that _should_ was the key word. Most guides didn't. But they wanted to help her, and she really couldn't risk them nearly killing Ryou again. Ryou knew what she was planning, and neither Yugi nor Malik were any the wiser about it. Hana and Sephira turned to leave at that point, and Malik wanted to wish them farewell.

"G0..d l$ck g!rl…sss…" he said, his words coming out completely garbled. Sith's eyes widened. That was even worse. Her skin paling in absolute horror, she turned back to the door. Unfortunately, Sephira just vanished through it. Sith took a deep breath, hoping her voice could carry enough for either of them to hear her.

"Damn it… _GIRLS, HURRY AS FAST AS YOU CAN_!" Sith replied, and the door closed quickly, which meant they _had_ heard her, which relieved her. She turned back to the game, and said, "Ryou, I'm sorry… this is going to hurt." With that, she held the O button for dear life as Ryou began to dash towards the throne room door, ignoring the pixels as they rearranged themselves, and trying to ignore the noise that told her Ryou was close to dying. He burst through the doors, and both he and Sith were relieved to find that anything that was happening in the hall ceased to be in the throne room. The only thing wrong was the lack of NPCs. But for right now, that could wait. She had to heal her friends quickly, which she did.

"So, what happened back there?" Malik asked, after she healed them with whatever potions she had. Sith just looked down, trying to think of a way to explain. She didn't know, either. She had never encountered this problem in any game she had ever played, but she had her own theories, and she knew they wouldn't like any of them. Besides, her own theory involved some very powerful spells, some she doubted even Bahamut himself owned.

"I'm not sure. I wish I could say for certain that it's the game being so old, but something else… is making me think otherwise," she replied darkly. Ryou should've known that'd be her answer, and silently cursed himself for thinking it could be otherwise. Cautiously, Sith moved Ryou up towards the thrones, but she didn't see either Kefka or the original King of Figuro there. She didn't know if she should be surprised at that, but what did shock her was who she _did_ see. A cloaked figure was sitting on the throne, and though Sith didn't trust whoever it was, she had no choice but to speak to them. She led Ryou up to the throne and pressed the button that allowed him to speak.

"I've been waiting for you…" Sith instantly regretted doing that. The figure just smiled, and though she couldn't _see_ the figure's body under the cloak, she had a feeling it was female. And possibly no older than herself, while looking no younger than Ryou. Her ears stiffened in warning, and Ryou wasn't hesitant to share that warning.

"W-waiting for us? That's not good…" Malik said, lowering his head. The woman laughed, and floated off of her throne. Her movement reminded Sith of something familiar, and equally as dangerous, but she couldn't yet place her tongue on it. Simply, she let the conversation continue. Hopefully, whoever this was would slip up and tell her who she was.

"How do you like what I've done to your game?" the woman simply asked, her voice as sweet as honey. Hopefully now, Sith would find a way to kill her. It wasn't an actual identification, but it was damn well good enough for her. As an FMV played, depicting everyone beautifully, Sith stood up furiously, thrusting her arm out, one finger pointing shakily at the screen. Her eyes flashed red.

"You… _you_ have done this? Why!?" Sith demanded forcefully, her eyes narrowing angrily, "Answer me this instant! Did _you_ trap Ryou in here!?" The woman simply looked at Sith, and then sneered, nodding. Her hood hid most of her face, but Ryou guessed she was on the verge of laughing at Sith. If he didn't know that Sith would rip this woman to shreds for what happened, he'd have found the woman brave. Or just really, really stupid.

"Yes. You see, everyone now knows of Ryou's magic," the woman stated simply, "And as the general of our race, dear Winchester, I intend to take it and harness it." Sith's eyes widened, but Ryou didn't understand what was actually being said. He knew he could sense things, but that wasn't magic that anyone knew about, save for Sith. He looked at the woman.

"My magic…?" It hit Ryou onto what this _creature_ meant, "Er… what do you mean, magic?" Malik glanced at him, and Ryou quickly willed that he was going to lie his way out of trouble for now. The woman looked at him with amusement, and then grinned coldly. Ryou's blood felt frozen, and even Sith was on edge from such a wicked look. The woman stepped forward, and Ryou realized that she wouldn't let him lie his way out of this. She _knew_ of his power. But, Sith didn't, and all hell would break loose once she did.

"Oh, _please_ don't tell me you haven't yet noticed your power," the woman said, laughing, "You don't understand the power you share with that _creature_ over there? Ryou… when her magic disappeared, some of it seated itself in _you_." Ryou's eyes widened, and he felt like he may have been dying. He looked up, and saw Sith was mortified with what she had heard. She looked down at Ryou, eyes wide with shock. He didn't expect her to look afraid, and it was a much more painful result than her flying off the handle for hiding it.

"Ryou… is this true?" Sith whispered, her voice so broken that Ryou barely recognized it to be her. Malik and Yugi looked at him, and he hung his head. Gently, he exuded a blue aura to Sith, who gasped. She recognized it to be a weak trace of the spell 'Weislager.' She closed her mouth, her breath sounding so ragged when she breathed in. Ryou couldn't look at her. He knew she was upset.

"Yes," he replied calmly, "Sith, I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't want it… I thought that if I ignored it, it would go away, but…" Ryou started to shake as tears threatened to leave his eyes. He recalled his first use of her fireball spell, by pure accident three weeks before. He had singed his curtains, and vowed never to use his magic; he didn't want to replace everything he owned, and he was sure it'd go away with neglect… except that it never did. Sith's shoulders lowered for a moment, and then she smiled gently. It was such a sad smile, and so weak. Ryou felt like crying. She looked like she was in pain when she smiled like that, which she never did. Almost never.

"Ryou… it'll be all right," Sith replied softly, and Ryou nodded, sniffling. She turned back to the woman, her ears regaining their stiffness as she said, "I do not care for you, your origin, or your status among the Mystics. I will never let you take Ryou away. All before you have failed, and I'll make sure you die as painful a death as well." Ryou sighed with relief, Sith's usual threats bringing comfort to his mind. However, the woman seemed undaunted by Sith's efforts. In fact, she seemed almost happy to hear that.

"…Winchester," the woman said, a hint of warmness to her voice, "Ah, yes, we all remember _you_. So, it seems that Esper law _isn't_ conducive to… you now, is it? Well, no matter. We will take Ryou away from your possessive grip, just like we took the last human you cared about away." Sith's eyes turned to angry slits, flashing red again as she slammed the television screen with her fists. Ryou was terrified the glass would break under her fury, but it held. Both the glass and Sith's rage held.

"Last… human… possessive grip…" Sith mumbled, and Ryou wondered just what this crazy woman was getting to, before Sith lost it and screamed, "_HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME!_" Malik and Yugi both shook from the force of her voice, but neither Ryou nor the woman were moved to terror in any way. Ryou, simply because he was worried about Sith and what happened to spark such anger, and the woman, because she was aiming to hurt Sith, for reasons Ryou couldn't understand. He'd have to remember to either ask Sith herself about it, or to beat it out of what he knew would be his next enemy. The woman merely snorted at Sith's outrage.

"Spout all that you wish," she said cruelly, "My point is that, by doing this, I've made you virtually useless to Ryou's survival. He does not need you, and you cannot help him!" Sith's fists clenched, as she forced herself to calm down. She wanted to slaughter the woman, to slaughter the machine, but in doing so, she would only be furthering the woman's point. And she'd kill Ryou. Neither would benefit her in any way.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, drawing his blade. His eyebrows furrowed angrily, and Ryou knew he was just as insulted as Sith was; he had grown to look up to Sith as a sister, and never took well to seeing her in pain. The woman looked at him, and then laughed, waving her arm around the entire chamber. There was nothing that seemed overly out of place for them to look at, but Ryou had a feeling that wasn't her point.

"Look around, you fools!" she exclaimed psychotically, "You're in a new world, a video game, unable to even move without outside help! And without that creature by your side, you're powerless against me! All _she_ can do is lead you farther into the path of death! For once you face me… it'll be over, and Ryou… will finally be ours for the taking." Sith gritted her teeth, and Ryou felt her fury go past its previous limits. He felt fire inside of his stomach, and urged her to calm herself. But her mind was snapped shut from his instantly.

"Harm Ryou in any way, and I swear on the grace of Bahamut himself that I will come and kill you. Even in death, don't you dare assume I won't try. Your opinion of me is minimal; insignificant; ignored entirely. But one thing you will know is this," Sith growled, her voice deeper and older than Ryou ever remembered, "He is _mine_." Silence reigned, even from Ryou as he heard what she had said. Her mind opened again, and he tried to feel what she felt. He expected fury, hatred, embitterment… but no, not one of those was for him. He felt compassion, love, and strength coming from her. The anger was aimed entirely at the woman before them all.

"…he is… yours?" the woman asked, and then laughed, "Then you are _no_ better than I! He is nothing to you! Just a pawn in your little chess game, and you would sacrifice him for your own agenda." Fire burned around Sith, and Ryou felt his skin itch from her drastic rise in power. Her eyes burned with hatred.

"_Do not EVER make such assumptions of me!_" Sith yelled, and this time, the ground shook with her anger, "_These people are my friends, and I love them more than you'd EVER understand! And he is MINE!_" The woman seemed startled from Sith's anger, and then looked to Ryou. Then, she looked back at Sith, and frowned for once.

"And what if he doesn't want to be… yours?" she asked calmly. Ryou blinked, and looked up at Sith as well. She looked on the verge of snapping.

"I don't mind being hers," Ryou said firmly, but Sith didn't smile. She seemed not to hear him, and then he realized she wasn't talking about _him_, "Sith?"

"He is mine, and I won't let you take him away again. I won't let any of you. Not you, not Rath, and not Bahamut," Sith promised grimly, and Ryou frowned. Now he knew she didn't mean him. He had never been taken away from Sith. But he knew someone who had. His breathing became hard. Sith was _his_ fiancée. The blonde man should've meant nothing to her. The woman just snorted, shaking her head.

"You are a fool, Sith Winchester," she stated, "Not only in life, but in promises too. Ryou," the woman looked down at him, and for a moment, he felt compassion, "You're not the target, but continue to help Sith, and you will be." Now Ryou was thoroughly confused. She seemed so cold a moment ago, but now she seemed to have aimed that coldness for only Sith. But before he could ask, the woman was ascending upward. And like the stupid idiot Sith thought he was, Malik stopped her. She looked down at him quickly.

"I don't think so. You're not running from us," Malik growled, "If you insult one of us, you insult us all. And guess what? You insulted one of us." The woman scoffed, and threw Malik across the chamber as she straightened her cloak. Then she glared at him. She must've thought he was just as stupid as Sith.

"…such idiocy for one creature," she said, "I pity you. Not one of you comprehend my power, and until you do, you will never win." Then, she vanished from sight as Malik slowly got up off of the floor. The FMV ended, the game returning to its normal sprite mode. Sith picked up the controller, switching it back to one-player mode. Ryou noticed she looked particularly shaken, but it passed in a moment.

"Hmph. We'll see what your limitless power is," she said bitterly, "Don't underestimate me." After that, she said nothing as she made Ryou walk out of the room. The hallway, as well as the outside, seemed almost normal. But two things alerted them that danger was still near. The music did not play, and there were no guards any longer. It made the silence seem all the more nightmarish. Sith just led them out quickly; there was no sense in staying. And only when they reached the warm, sandy dunes of the desert outside, did anyone speak.

"What now, Sith?" Yugi asked as the world map loaded up. Sith's eyes narrowed, and Ryou saw that tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. For once, she was at a standstill, and Ryou began to understand what the woman was saying. Not only did Sith seem helpless, she _felt_ it, too.

"…I have no answers," Sith replied regretfully, looking down, "Who knows what that woman has done to this game. Nothing will be as I remember it, Ryou… I'm… I'm sorry. I have been selfish, I didn't even think that I wouldn't be able to help." Ryou shook his head quickly, and tried to reach for the screen, for Sith. Of everything he could think of her, selfish hadn't been one of them. As long as he remembered her, he remembered that whatever she did was for everyone else first, herself later. Besides, a little bit of selfishness wasn't a bad thing.

"No, it's not your fault," Ryou said, trying to give her comfort from his mind, "Sith, you're not… like her in any way. I don't care about what drove you to help me. You helped me, and that's all there is to it." Sith blinked, but said nothing. What had been said still tugged at her. Silence continued on for quite a time, until Yugi finally broke it.

"So… should we train a bit so we can actually put up a chance?" he asked. Sith looked at him, and nodded slowly, taking the controller once more.

"Perhaps we should find anyone else willing to help us," Ryou added, smiling as he looked up at Sith, "It's your call, Sith." Sith nodded again, but he felt her reluctance to continue on. What that woman had said shook her to the core, and she seemed to agree. Ryou sighed, knowing there was nothing he could say to help her, at least for now.

After about half an hour, Ryou's father, Yaten, had woken up. He looked drowsily at the piles of paper on his desk, and then lazily swept them away, not caring for the mess he made on his already messy floor. He stood up, yawned, and then lumbered out into the hall and down the stairs, not caring that he was still in pajamas. To him, it was his day off, and if no one wanted to see him in his starry pajamas, then they'd just have to deal. Slowly, he stumbled into the living room, rubbing his tired eyes. He saw Sith sitting on the floor, controller in hand. She ignored him entirely. But, he didn't give the same courtesy to her.

"Good morning, Sith. What're you up to?" Yaten asked, walking into the living room. His slippers left lint on the floor, but he didn't appear to notice. Sith's eye twitched when she heard his voice. He was, with all intent and purpose, the very last person she ever wanted to see.

"Nothing, Mr. Bakura," she replied with a hint of annoyance. Ryou frowned disapprovingly at her, and Malik snickered. Ryou nudged him to keep quiet, and then watched as his father stalked into the living room slowly, sluggish from sleeping in so late. He sat on the couch and watched the game for a minute.

"Mind if I play?" he asked. Sith's eye twitched again, and she wished he would simply get up and leave the room. No… she wished he would leave the room and _never bother her again_. But, life didn't work that way, whether she was human or not.

"No. I want to play alone," she replied, not even turning around. However, Yaten didn't appear to care for her request, as he simply didn't just give up. Ryou bit his lip, not knowing just what this would turn into. Whenever his father and Sith got into an argument, it sometimes lasted hours. That was time they didn't have.

"Please?" he asked again. Sith huffed angrily, feeling her rage rise even higher. In her mind, the world was beginning to screw with her with how many interruptions she was getting. Sighing, she tried to be reasonable.

"I said no, Mr. Bakura."

"But…"

"_NO_!" Reason went right out the window with that.

"Listen, little missy! If I'm going to be your father-in-law, you need to learn to share! Now let me play or you're going out!" Yaten exclaimed, trying to be stern, but ultimately sounding completely hysterical. Sith wanted to curse, and instead just threw the controller as hard as she could at the man. She didn't have the energy to let the argument continue. He picked it up and said, "Thank you. Now, what're we doing?"

"I'm leveling my characters up," Sith replied shortly, "I give no care to what you do." Yaten frowned at her, and Ryou sighed, wishing she would get along with his father. He looked up at her, hoping he could actually reason with her on that.

"Sith, please! That's my father!" Ryou said pleadingly, "Please get along with him for now." Sith turned away. She wanted nothing to do with Yaten, but Ryou's gentle voice always got the better of her. She agreed silently. Yaten looked at Ryou, his eyes lighting with wonder.

"I didn't realize the depth they put into these games!" he exclaimed, smiling, "Why, that looks exactly like Ryou!" Sith glanced at him, but remained silent as she continued to move Ryou along. Yaten didn't need to know that that _was_ Ryou. She moved a few paces, and then a battle initiated. And she wished it didn't. She had no idea how Yaten would fare, or if he even knew how to use the controller.

"Are you sure you know what to do?" she asked worriedly, and got a firm nod from Yaten, who looked at the screen with pure determination. Ryou's agility had overcome Yugi's, and so he went first. Yaten looked down at the controller, the labels for them looking more like Swahili than anything Yaten could read. He blinked, at first considering just hitting whatever he wanted. But then he decided he'd rather not cause Sith to have a complete aneurism.

"What do these do?" he asked, tilting his head and pressing all of the buttons, thusly making his inquiry useless. All he truly did was make Ryou attack himself. Malik snorted with amusement, but Yugi glanced at Ryou with worry as he fell down. Sith's eye twitched as she stared in disbelief. Ryou had just killed himself, and it was all because of the _idiot_ who called himself Ryou's father.

"Ryou, are you all right!?" Yugi asked frantically, but received no reply, "Ryou?" Carefully, he poked Ryou with his sword, but the boy didn't stir. Sith's teeth clenched, and she stiffly turned to Yaten. Malik was sure she would strangle the man, but she somehow controlled herself as Yaten simply looked at Ryou's fallen form. He couldn't put two and two together, though Malik wasn't surprised at that.

"Oops," Yaten said casually, but Sith emitted a low growl, unable to actually control herself any longer.

"Oops!? That's it!?" she yelled, standing up, "You just killed your own son, and all you can say is 'oops' like it's… like it's _NOTHING_!?" Her tail shook angrily, but Yaten simply stared at her, unable to completely understand what was wrong. After all, it was simply a video game to him. And he didn't play video games.

"Sith, this is a game," he said flatly, "Trust me. If my son actually died, I'd know. It's all part of that father-son bond I keep reading about." Then, without even asking, he grabbed Sith's controller as he said, "Let me try again." Her growl became more and more apparent, and she watched with seething fury as Malik was attacked next. He fell almost as quickly as Ryou, and once again, Sith lost her temper.

"_What in the seven levels of Hell are you doing!?_" she screeched, "Do you not understand the basics of this game!? You're killing my party!" She forced herself to stop before she actually murdered Yaten, but he continued giving her that blank stare. Her eye twitched, knowing that if he had left her alone, she'd be much calmer.

"Can't you heal them after battle?" he asked, clearly not understanding just the danger he was putting Ryou into. Sith forced herself to sit as she crossed her arms.

"Keep battling like that and we'll never get _out_ of the battle." And unfortunately, at a time like this, all Sith could do was wait to see how badly Yaten would screw up before he gave her the controllers back. Damned stubborn _idiot_.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Hana and Sephira have left to try and find a guide for Sith, as another enemy appears to taunt Sith and her crew. With nothing to help them, and with only a few fragments of the game still there, Sith's going to have one hell of a time helping Ryou out again. But can Yaten help her, or will he hinder her movements? How can she fight a foe she can no longer see? And will Ryou live to help _her_? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	3. Modern RPGs: The Dummies Method

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he isn't sure Yaten should be gaming. SquareSoft owns FF6, and they don't care who games as long as they get some money from it.

Hana and Sephira raced down the streets of Domino, searching frantically for Yugi's shop. They had traveled nearly a mile from Ryou's house, both willing their legs to pull them faster and faster down the turns and streets they flew down. Twice, Sephira had led them down a wrong turn, and three times, they had to ask for directions. It was all driving Hana absolutely crazy. Finally, however, they saw a sign with a turtle, and a mailbox labeled "Mutou," and knew they'd found their mark. Dragging Hana along, Sephira stormed up the sidewalk and practically slammed into the door. Only to find it was locked. Which would just be their luck in this sort of crisis. Sephira slammed her fists into the front door.

"Hey! Open up!" Sephira yelled, hitting the glass repeatedly, "Come on! We need your help! _Your grandson's about to die here!_" Hana blinked, simply watching Sephira as she continued to scream. Passersby slowly edged away, wondering why a young girl would be screaming on such a calm day, and finally, Hana had to drag Sephira away. It was clear that no one was in the shop. Or that they had scared anyone inside off.

"Come on! There's no one in there!" Hana strained, as she dragged an unwilling Sephira with her down the road. They walked for minutes, until Hana turned down a quiet drive and pointed to another, smaller gaming store. This one dealt specifically with video games. Sephira wasted no time, and practically tore the door down as Hana followed her in. There, a young woman sat by the counter, and she looked up at them, startled. Obviously, seeing two girls burst into the store was the last thing she expected. She raised a brow as Sephira spoke.

"Riz, help us!" she panted, nearly falling over. Riz, the cashier, looked at her critically, as though she couldn't decide if she should help or call the asylum. Sephira looked absolutely panicked, and Hana wasn't doing too much better, either. Riz just snorted. She didn't really want to know what was going on, but for their sake, she asked anyway.

"Where's the fire?" she asked, chuckling, "What's got you both so terrified? You're running like you had your heads cut off." Except that they had their heads. Hana took a deep breath, trying to fill her lungs before she explained their situation. She had to pick and choose her facts, though; she couldn't say for certain if Riz would believe what was going on.

"I'm not sure yet, but something's up with Sith's game," she explained, wondering if she should leave out the part about Ryou, "It's corrupted, and we need the guide to see if there's a way to fix it." Riz blinked, slowly processing what Hana said. Then she shrugged. She wasn't sure what kind of guide could help with technical difficulties, but who was she to stop a sale? She walked into the back room and brought out every guide they had. There were many in the box. At least, it _looked_ that way. She grinned.

"We should have something for what you need," she told them. And immediately, Sephira took to ripping the box to shreds, trying to find that holy guide of guides. She managed to find just one with the words _FINAL FANTASY _stamped on it. She held it up like a little kid on drugs.

"I think I found it!" she exclaimed proudly, showing it to Hana, "Well!?" Hana looked at the cover critically for a long moment. It _was_ for Final Fantasy. But not the right one. Her lips thinned. If Sephira knew that, it might crush her. But Sith needed the right guide.

"It's not the right one," she stated, "Seph, she has game number six. That's for the fifth game."

"But it's all we have," Riz told her, frowning as she leaned on the counter, "Take it or leave it." Hana hummed nervously. There was a good chance the guide wouldn't help, but they didn't have the time to keep looking. Sith needed them right then. And apparently, Sephira already made up her mind about it as she took the guide back and hugged it protectively. Her brows creased as she stared at Hana.

"What difference does one stupid number make!?" she demanded, stalking toward the door, "We have the guide, so let's just get back before Ryou's _dead_!" That was a good point indeed. The three nodded to each other, and both Hana and Sephira rushed out without so much as a goodbye. Riz watched them go. And then she sighed. If she had any hope of helping Sith, she'd need to call Suguroku for the right guide. She just hoped he had one.

---

Back at Ryou's house, Sith had managed to snatch her controller away from Yaten, and was currently trying to escape the battle happening in the game; it was by far the worst situation she'd ever been in. Yugi's HP was critical, and with both Ryou and Malik unconscious, Sith had no desire to see what Yugi could possibly do. Not that he _could_ do much with 6 health points left. She pressed the L and R buttons to escape, and finally, Yugi's sprite ran off of the screen as the world map loaded again. She sighed with relief, but it was just for a second. With Yugi so close to death, every second counted.

"Thank Roris," Sith mumbled, and then turned to Yaten as she demanded, "What the hell was _that!?_ Haven't you ever played a damn video game before!?" Yaten looked at her for a moment, as though he couldn't decide if the question was valid or not. The answer should've been as clear as the sky. He shook his head.

"Nope. Can't say that I have," he replied, taking off his glasses as Sith stared in complete disbelief, "You know Ryou's the gamer in the family. I'm just the one who makes money, pays the bills, and supports three hyper children and one insatiable spirit." Sith sighed and slapped her forehead, unable to fathom just how she was this unlucky. She had to teach Yaten the basics, or she'd lose Ryou forever. And she didn't have that time. So, feeling it best to continue solo, she opened up the status menu, and was relieved to find that she had two Phoenix Downs and ten potions. That was just enough to revive her team, and more than enough to bring them to full health.

"Bless us, Bahamut," she mumbled, and revived both Ryou and Malik. Then she healed everyone's HP to full with three potions. Yaten, who was getting tired of the game already, had gotten up to get some coffee, which Sith was perfectly fine with. She'd actually get something accomplished, and it'd give her some time to talk with Ryou, something she _really_ needed to do.

"Aah… Sith, what happened?" Ryou asked softly, holding his forehead and shaking. She knew he had a migraine, and decided that he should hate his father as much as she did, since Yaten technically was the reason Ryou was in pain. Her eyes narrowed, every intention of recounting recent events becoming evident on her face.

"That imbecile you call a father nearly killed you," she said plainly, and Ryou felt tremendous bouts of distaste and bitterness in her voice, "I'm surprised you lived through your own childhood with that man." Ryou silently snorted with laughter. Though he never said it, he was partly surprised with that as well. His father wasn't exactly the most _attentive_ parent in the world, though he did more or less keep Ryou out of trouble. Yugi just snorted. He'd been the one to actually live through that horrible disaster. He even confirmed Sith's rather obnoxious recount of what happened, when she finally told it.

"It's a good thing you were here or I wouldn't have made it," he said to her, "To which I still can't believe I did. But now what? Do we wait for your friends?" Sith frowned. In all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure how much they could do. The game was breaking up, and if magic had _everything_ to do with it, they were screwed from the beginning. She took a deep breath. Bringing the bad news was never easy.

"No. I'm going to see how far we can get, even though we need that guide. As soon as they come back, we'll see if I can fix the glitches," she reasoned, and then her voice went flat, "At the very least, they can take your father's place. His gaming skills are shit." Ryou could only laugh. He knew first-hand how poorly Yaten's skills were. Many a tabletop RPG was ruined because Yaten simply didn't know what he was doing. Nor had he paid attention to the rules beforehand.

"I know. He keeps killing himself on Dungeons and Dragons," Ryou said, half amused, and then saw a flicker of movement behind Sith, "I think he's coming back!" Sith glanced, and nodded, gesturing for the others to remain silent as Yaten sat back down with a big mug of coffee. Her look went flat, and she proceeded to try and ignore the man as another battle was initiated. As if answering to her plea, the phone rang. Sith paused the game, and looked directly at Yaten. If she had any chance of getting Ryou back, she had to make sure his idiot of a father understood that he _couldn't do anything_ until she came back. She had no need for a game over.

"_I'll_ get it," she said, standing up, "You wait there. Don't touch anything. Don't even move." Yaten seemed to comprehend what she said, so she went to the kitchen and took the call. And when the other person heard her, they weren't happy about it. Which was fine. Except that person was a complete asshole about it.

"Oh good god, not you!" Sith's flat expression returned. That was Bakura. Her own decree stated she should kick him where it hurt for that, but he wasn't even there. So she settled for a slightly less violent approach. Only slightly less.

"Let's try that again before I mutter Soenflaukt and roast you alive," she growled. Despite the fact that she couldn't currently use magic, she was hoping Bakura had forgotten, and her tone had been frightening enough. It seemed to work well, because his tone changed drastically.

"Sorry, Sith," he mumbled without sincerity, "Look, I just need to know if Ryou's there. I need to talk with him." Sith looked around for a moment. Obviously, Bakura didn't know what had happened. Maybe that was for the better. Then again, it probably wasn't. If the woman wanted to separate Ryou from _Bakura_ as well, she succeeded. And that pissed Sith off even more.

"He's not," she said, and sat in a chair, "What's wrong?" Then, her expression went flat. Bakura almost never called just to _talk to Ryou_. "What did you do?" She wasn't surprised at his reaction to the question.

"Why is it that no matter what, you always assume I _did something!?_" he demanded angrily, "For all you know, woman, I could be calling to say hi!" But that didn't fool Sith. It never did. She perked a brow. As much as Bakura amused her, she didn't have the time to get into an argument with him. She still had Yaten to contend with. She decided to go with the best way to get information: Yami.

"I'm assuming Yami's with you," she said without question, "Put him on." She heard Bakura mumble, but he obeyed more or less. By practically throwing the phone at the old pharaoh's head. Yami took it and sighed. Obviously, he was about as annoyed as Sith sounded at that point.

"Rex arrested him for reckless endangerment when he shot at a squirrel," he told her simply, "He needed a legal guardian, but since he has no parents, I decided to see what I could do." Sith didn't say what a terrible idea she thought that was. It wouldn't have helped, though now she did regret picking up the phone. She took a deep breath.

"How long is he in there?" she asked, wondering what she might be going back to once she hung up. A game over seemed almost apparent ten minutes ago. She could only hope Yaten wasn't touching anything.

"Rex says if he doesn't give up his firearms, he stands a chance at ten years," the old spirit replied, half-amused, "Bakura says that's nothing compared to being in the ring for three thousand years." Sith's lips thinned. _That_ was nothing compared to _her own age_. She would've laughed. Except it wasn't funny. Bakura was wasting her time, and if there's one thing Sith Winchester hated that day, it was her time being wasted. Especially on stupid shit like this.

"Tell him that if he doesn't cooperate, I'm going to imprison him in something _far worse_ than that pendant of his _forever!_" she growled angrily, "I have no time for this, and I certainly don't want to deal with it! Good bye!" With that, she slammed the phone down. She felt a little bad about exploding on Yami, but she'd feel worse if Yaten actually did manage to get a game over. Not wanting to risk that, she rushed into the living room. Thankfully, the man stayed put like she told him to. But he seemed relieved when she came back in, despite her scowl.

"Finally! I have to go to the john, and I wasn't sure you wanted me peeing on the rug, so can you handle it from here?" Yaten asked, getting up. Sith wanted to say she didn't need to hear that, but she merely nodded and let him leave. When she sat down, she saw he disobeyed after all; he'd gotten into another fight. But at least he defeated most of the monsters already. She resumed the battle, and Ryou blasted the last monster out of the sky. As their experience was given out, she saw they finally leveled up. That was good. It'd make it harder for them to die on her.

"Hey, Sith? It says I learned Fire!" Yugi exclaimed, and Sith saw indeed, that it did, "We can use magic here?" Sith went grim. Whatever world that was, magic was the case. And she didn't like it. But Yugi was the only one to receive destructive magic; Ryou learned Cure, and Malik learned DEF Up. But while Ryou was happy, Malik seemed utterly disappointed. He looked up at Sith as well and scowled.

"What the hell!? Why did I get such a crappy power!?" he demanded angrily, throwing his arms up, "I'm the one who beat the monsters to a bloody pulp! I want to learn something kick-ass like Flare!" Obviously, Sith wasn't proof enough that Flare wasn't a spell he wanted to use. Her eyes narrowed. If he hadn't been in a game, she'd have hit him over the head. Or just stabbed him. Either one would've shut him up.

"Be thankful you even have magic," she growled angrily, and turned away, "Flare would probably kill you as well as any boss that faces you, anyway." Ryou frowned as she spoke, but at that point, Malik no longer cared about magic. The mention of _bosses_ drew his attention. He hadn't really played games before, but he had a feeling he knew what _bosses_ implied.

"Wait… bosses… as in _stronger_ monsters than this!?" Malik exclaimed, "Sith, tell me it's not so! We can't even survive _here_ let alone against a _boss_!" If looks could talk, Sith's easily would've said 'you're a damned idiot' to him. She took a breath, and shook her head.

"Malik, I know this is beyond your scope of living, but you're in a video game," she stated sarcastically, crossing her arms, "It'll get harder as we continue on, not easier." Malik made a face, but didn't argue. There wasn't much point. Even if she insulted him, she was right. Video games weren't in Egypt; he never played one until today. He shrugged, deciding to let the insult roll. It could've been worse, after all.

"So, where's the first boss?" he asked after a moment, as she led them south, out of the desert and back into grassland. She looked up thoughtfully, and then frowned again. That wasn't a good sign. Then again, in this situation, what was a good sign supposed to look like?

"Well, technically, the first boss was back in Narshe," she stated seriously, "And with the game crapping out on us, who's to say the next one's still on Mount Koltz?" No one except Sith knew what that was, so they didn't question her. They'd find out soon enough anyway. For a few moments, they traveled in relative silence. What Sith said concerning the first boss worried all of them, particularly in the fact that they all had the feeling they were in no way prepared for a boss battle. And as if to confirm that, Yugi asked that very question five minutes later.

"So, are we strong enough for the bosses?" he asked Sith. And she frowned again. Ryou snorted; she would've been better off saying they didn't have a snowball's chance in hell for that matter. Her frown said far worse than that. And it sent shivers up Yugi's spine all the same. Malik just threw his hands up.

"What a Ra-damned surprise. Can this day get _any_ worse!?" he complained unhelpfully, "Sith, how strong are we supposed to be!?" He turned up toward her, but for once, she actually looked amused with him. Her brow rose fractionally, her lips curled in a slight smile. She looked smug.

"I got through here on level six," she said, or more bragged, "But the normal rate is around nine. So, no, you guys are probably going to die if we try fighting a boss right now." Ryou actually laughed. That was probably the stupidest thing she could've said to them right then, because he knew Malik wanted to punch her right in the face for it. He glanced at Malik for a long moment; the boy's face went through a number of expressions Ryou couldn't read. Finally, he managed to twitch.

"Your vote of confidence speaks millions," he grumbled unhappily, "Can't you hack this thing and crank us up to infinity!?" Sith shook her head. From what she knew personally, mixed with Kaiba's warnings and Bakura's mostly-failed attempts to hack, doing so was the quickest way to void a game's warranty. And in this case, to end her friends' lives. She would _definitely_ not be doing that. Malik growled and yelled, "Come _on!_ What the hell are we supposed to do!?"

"I'm sorry, asshole. I didn't realize you wanted to _die_," she replied sarcastically, and her brows creased sharply, "We can do this two ways; my way, or die way. Now shut up and let me think for a damned moment." Malik wanted to scream that they didn't exactly have bucketloads of time for her thinking, but that was also the quickest way to void their warranty. Mainly because she might actually get angry enough to fry the playstation. So, he refrained. But after a while, he got the urge to yell again. Sith still hadn't spoken, and now minutes were passing, and they hadn't moved. Yugi looked up at her. She looked particularly vexed.

"Everything okay, Sith?" he asked, and she looked into the television again. Her lips thinned.

"No. This game won't be the same, and I'm wondering what we should be expecting in Figaro Cave," she replied grimly, wings ruffling, "If that Mystic shows up again, you're dead." Ryou frowned. She didn't have to be that blunt, but he was glad she was worried. Not that there was much she could do about it, but he let that slide. Thinking was her best weapon right now; he might as well let her use it. Unfortunately, another disruption from the front door caused Sith to turn. Hana and Sephira walked back in, holding a bag. Sith hoped it was the guide; if not, someone would be dead soon.

"Sith, we got it," Hana said, out of breath as she handed the older woman the bag. Sith set it down, and grinned.

"I was wondering if you'd been hit with a car on the way back," she joked, taking out the book, "You both took an awfully… long… ti… what the hell!?" Ryou tilted his head, wondering what was making Sith so upset. She glanced up at Hana and said, "This is the wrong one." Surprisingly, Hana wasn't surprised.

"We know," she said, glaring at Sephira, "Someone decided not to listen to me and grabbed it before I could stop her." Sith snorted, but she wasn't grinning anymore. She put the book down and shrugged. There wasn't much she could do about it now.

"Well, it's not the end of the world," she said simply, and then rephrased, "_Our_ world, anyway." Now Ryou wanted to punch her in the face for that. The only thing stopping him was that she wasn't in the same world as he was. She was probably lucky; he'd probably have shot her face off with his gun if she were there.

"Now what!?" Malik demanded shortly, and slumped on the floor, "Seriously, someone kill me at this point. It might make things easier." Sith would've agreed, but she chose to ignore him, turning back to Hana.

"I'll see if Psycho Gamers can order one," she told the girls, "Chances were, Yugi's grandfather didn't have one. Give me a moment." With that, she got up and went toward the kitchen, dialing a number on the phone. Riz picked up, and she wasn't surprised to have a call from Sith. She was simply amused that the older woman had taken so long to make her call. But when Sith explained the situation, giving the details Hana had left out, she could feel Riz's mouth drop in disbelief. But the good thing about Riz was that, as long as it helped her job, she was willing to do just about anything. She didn't say anything about how utterly ridiculous Sith sounded.

"You want me to _order_ one?" she asked incredulously, "Sith, you realize that game's old, right? Mr. Mutou doesn't even have a guide for it, and he's old, too!" Sith didn't like the humor very much. After a long moment, Riz sighed and said, "I'll see what I can do. Yami might be able to find one for you." Sith frowned accordingly. Yami and Bakura were probably in prison at that point. She certainly didn't trust the old thief, but she liked Yami and knew that if it meant life or death, he'd pull through for her. Probably.

"I'd appreciate it much," Sith said, deciding to take that risk. Riz agreed, and the two hung up. Sith walked back into the living room, and Hana paused the game just as Ryou was about to strike one monster. The result was that he now hung in mid-air, unable to move or even crash. Malik just laughed; it was like watching a badly-performed circus act. But Sith didn't find it funny. She was pissed that _someone_ decided to play without her. She turned immediately to Hana, who pointed to Sephira. Sith wasn't even surprised.

"Well?" Hana asked her as she sat on the couch, taking off her glasses to clean them. She gave a sly smile. That meant something had indeed happened. Whether it was good or not, however, Ryou couldn't guess.

"Yami's going to find the guide," Sith told them all confidently, "He should…" At that moment, the door was practically blown off its hinges as Bakura strolled in, holding up the guide like some trophy. Sith partly wished it was the Excalibur instead of a book; she could kill him with it then. But she didn't speak. At least, not until Yami and Ishtar stalked in after the demented thief. Now her confidence turned to confusion. "What in hell is _he_ doing here!?" Malik blanched. Now he knew he was dead. And Ishtar was more than willing to give Sith the sword to kill him with.

"Well, Ishizu decided to screw winter and throw us out because 'it's her time' or some shit like that," Ishtar explained to her with a grin, "So, when I found out Malik was crashing here, I was _absolutely sure_ you'd welcome _my_ company!" Malik was lucky if dead was all Sith would make of him. She turned to the screen rigidly, looking directly at Ryou as she unpaused the game. He yelped, slamming into the lone monster and sending it screaming to its death. That was an effective way to say 'I'm mad.'

"Which one of you suggested this?" she asked flatly. When Malik went to protest, she said, "I don't care why, or how, or for how long. Just tell me which of you idiots decided I'd actually go for this." Malik bit his lip and edged away, Ryou glaring at him as he did so. He was throwing the white-haired boy right into the fire pit, and Sith was holding the match to light it. Knowing that Sith's patience wasn't great, Ryou raised his hand.

"I did… sort of," he said quietly, and when Sith glared, he exclaimed, "What did you want me to do? _Leave_ him out there!?" She didn't even respond. Which probably meant that was _exactly_ what she would've done. "Sith, it's minus ten out there!"

"She's going to kill me, isn't she?" Malik whispered, half-expecting the answer to be yes. Ryou nodded fractionally, and Sith grinned darkly. Malik hated that look. That was the closest thing to a 'yes' he'd be getting from her.

"Don't touch my sister and I won't spear you," she compromised. Unfortunately, what she didn't know would hurt Malik, because when she found out, she _would_ kill him. And unfortunately _again_, Ishtar handed her the gun to shoot with.

"Guess you'll have to send him to the morgue tomorrow!" the spirit practically sang, and Malik cursed. _Now_ Sith looked pissed off. Her eyes went red, and he swore he saw a red aura around her. That _usually_ meant something somewhere was going to die. He had a feeling he was that something, too.

"As soon as he's out of there, I will," she promised, and Malik felt she should've killed him then and there. Living in the simple fear of his imminent death would be a million times worse than actually facing it. And this time, he didn't have Katt to distract Sith. Nor was the blonde man there to distract her, either. Or aid her, if he felt Malik was enough of an ass to kill off. The only thing working in his favor was that Bakura sat down next to the vexed woman. And Bakura liked him… hopefully. He turned to Sith.

"Want my help, dear?" he asked her sympathetically, seeing for once that she was truly tired with how the day was going. She glanced at him from the side and frowned. On a normal day, she'd have accepted. But this wasn't a normal situation. She handed him a controller warily.

"Make a mistake and Ryou won't be the only one dead," she threatened, and Bakura knew what she was actually saying. He nodded and patted her back as Yami sat behind her and took the guide. He wasn't much for video games, but he knew how to read. And Sith would need the guide soon, too. He opened up to where Sith indicated, when he asked her. He sped through the passage, raising a brow as he looked up at her again.

"Okay, according to this, the recommended level is five," he told her calmly, "What level are you?" Sith grinned slyly. She'd have normally said something ridiculous, and he knew it. But this was too urgent to be joking. And Yami had a feeling whatever the woman's answer was, he wouldn't like it. That was how it went with them.

"Two," she replied honestly, and Yami's mouth dropped. Subsequently, so did Bakura's. That just didn't seem right; Sith was good at pretty much anything she tried to do. Why the hell was this so different? Bakura just shrugged. If she wanted to do this half-assed, he wouldn't complain. But Ishtar would, and he did. He couldn't even understand why _anyone_ thought Sith would be a good leader in _this_ situation.

"Two!? Are you _serious_!?" the young spirit demanded in absolute disbelief, "Sith, what the Ra-damned hell!? You're an _Esper_ and you seriously think you could win on _level two!?_" Sith glared at him flatly. She didn't feel the need to dare him to do this himself. Mainly because she knew if she did, Ryou wouldn't be coming back. Instead, she ignored the insult and kept the party moving southeast. The great dunes of the desert began to give way to sparse grassland. And Yami confirmed, in Ryou's curious glances upward, that that was where they needed to go. Sith only smiled when an FMV began to play, depicting Ryou, Yugi, and Malik walking up to the entrance of a large cave, set below an impressive mountain range. Everyone else's mouths dropped as they watched the scene. Sith hadn't the heart to tell them that, realistically, not even the remix had those graphics.

"…it looks dark in there," Malik whispered, as they all gazed into the cavern's entrance. Ryou nodded, but Sith snorted in amusement. Malik looked up at her, and bit his lip. She smiled thinly.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark," was all the woman said. Malik nodded grimly, and she sighed. At least he didn't _tell_ her he was. Not with words, anyway. He didn't need words, either. Ishtar, as usual, got the next word in. The spirit rolled off the couch, laughing hysterically at the silence Sith received.

"If only Katt were here to see this now," he taunted, sitting up on the floor and grinning maniacally, "I doubt she'd want to marry you _now_." The tense wasn't missed, either with Ryou or with Sith. And both of their mouths dropped in absolute, utter disbelief. Malik just twitched. Now Sith would _really_ kill him.

"Ishtar, _SHUT UP!_" Malik yelled as Sith turned to the screen and practically screamed, "You proposed… _to my SISTER!?_" Normally, her voice was pretty shrill when she was mad, but now it made Malik's blood freeze. Whether it was from terror or magic, he neither knew nor cared. He just prayed to Ra in thanks that Sith wasn't in the same world as he was now. Not that it'd do much good; she could easily kill him by shutting the game down.

"Sith, there's no reason to get angry…" Ryou began quietly, but it was clear she terrified him, too. Her eyes flashed red, a sure sign that someone, somewhere, was going to die. Ryou didn't want to know who that'd end up being. Malik turned to him, knowing their weapons would fail holding her fury off.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" he asked, and Ryou could only laugh. Dead wasn't nearly enough to explain how pissed Sith was.

"You've buried yourself in a grave eight thousand feet deep, my friend," Ryou warned, and Malik laughed nervously. That still wasn't enough dirt to stop Sith, with or without her magic present. She still had both Aeon and the blonde man, both of which were more than willing to end her friends' lives prematurely.

"Then let's dig it in some more," Malik mumbled, and with that prodding, Sith happily obliged. She picked up the controller as the scene ended, and moved Ryou's sprite into the cave. It was damp, and he felt the swirl of cold air as it rushed about. No wonder Malik was afraid. The place smelled musty and old. Just like a cave should. And Sith happened to be smiling again, just like an idiot would.

"Onwards and upwards, friends," she said, but somehow, that brought such little comfort to the rest of her team. But no one argued. No one was _that_ stupid.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With the guides and spirits to help her along, Sith may have a chance to get Ryou out before the woman from before shows up to destroy him again. But with danger so close, she'll need to hustle to save her friends. Can she figure out the mystery behind Ryou's warp to another world? Is it another attempt to destroy their own? What awaits them at the end of the cavern? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	4. Aiding the Outcasts

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he disapproves of Malik getting over his fear. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care if Malik goes through a cave.

"Sith, I can't believe we had to do that!" Ryou exclaimed as he carried Malik through the cave, looking up at the woman in question, "Was killing him truly necessary?" Sith watched him grimly, and nodded, crossing her arms as Bakura sat behind her, watching in amusement. Although Malik had displayed some level of bravery when they first came to the cave, it hadn't taken too long for him to want to run like a bat out of hell. And, unfortunately for him, Sith was much quicker with her orders. Ryou had been unwilling to attack his own friend, but Yugi was more loyal to Sith's cause. He had, rather reluctantly, smacked Malik over the head with the hilt of his sword, instantly ridding them of their obstacle. But neither had liked it. Sith, however, seemed indifferent to it. She was simply annoyed that Malik was there at all.

"No, but I thought we wanted to get you out of there," she answered simply, without much hint to her current emotion, "It's either that or we let the little bastard run off and get himself killed by some other monster. Trust me, I'm not risking _that_ one." Ryou snorted, shaking his head. He couldn't really see what the difference between Sith killing Malik and a monster killing him was, but obviously it had some significance to Sith.

"It's still wrong," Ryou replied, and Sith actually laughed. She gave him a sly grin, and he knew she didn't actually care if it was right or not. To her, it was right simply because it gave her less to have a headache over, and it didn't exactly hinder them in any way, either. But Sith always thought differently from the others. Even Yugi, who initially supported Sith's cause, frowned at her laughter.

"Yeah. If he's dead, wouldn't that improve our chances of dying, too?" he asked, and Sith stopped flat. That was true, as much as she hated to admit it. But Ryou didn't _need_ to hear that. Unfortunately, Yami was sitting next to Sith, and he had heard. He glanced at her with concern.

"They won't die, will they?" he whispered, but Sith didn't answer him straightaway. Which meant that they probably already had. His eyes widened and his voice grew with alarm, "Sith!?"

"They've died already, and you can thank that moron of a man, Yaten Bakura," she grumbled in reply, and Yami's mouth dropped. Yaten! _That_ was who she chose to play with _first!?_ Yami couldn't think of a worse partner even if he wanted to. He shook his head and crossed his arms, letting out a sigh.

"You honestly chose him to help you?" he asked, half amused and half unbelieving, "What in hell were you thinking!? Are you insane!?" Sith's brows creased furiously. She'd been asked that so many times, that she was certain she'd be rich if she demanded a penny for every time that question came up. If Yami hadn't been such a close friend, she'd have probably sent his head flying through the window. With or without her sword. She glared at him now, both insulted and a little hurt with the accusation.

"You act as though I had a choice!" she cried, exasperation masking her true anger, "What did you want me to do? Refuse!?" She snorted, and her frown turned to a cold smile, "He'd have tossed me out on my ass the second he could." Yami wanted to yell, but at that prospect, he understood her precarious situation. Outside wasn't an entirely safe place for her, especially if a Mystic knew where she was and that she and Ryou were worlds apart, literally. Ryou himself seemed to understand now why she was more cross than usual. He frowned.

"He _what!?_" Ryou demanded, nearly dropping Malik. Sith nodded grimly, and looked down for a second.

"He said that if I didn't share, he'd toss me out by nightfall," she replied calmly, but there was a tone to her Ryou was concerned with, "I actually like living with you, too." Ryou nodded. Even though she had grown somewhat distant to him during the past few months, they still enjoyed each other's companionship. His lips thinned. If Yaten wasn't careful, Sith wouldn't be the only one leaving. He shook his head.

"If he does it again, leave him to me," he told her, "I know how to deal with him." Sith nodded, and then she moved him through the cave, heading down what looked like, to him, a narrow path that inclined and wound around a stalagmite. He felt the air cooling considerably, and the smell of earth was strong and nearly offensive. Malik, who was unconscious not some five minutes ago, stirred.

"What… where the hell are we?" he mumbled, opening an eye. But all he saw was darkness at first, "What the hell? And… ugh, why does my head hurt?" He tried to look around, but could only see Ryou's white hair in the darkness. But Ryou didn't speak. Sith, instead, took the liberty of answering. Considering that she had a motive to inflict pain, Malik became nervous at the mere sound of her voice.

"Because we needed an alternative to move your sorry ass," the older woman grumbled, and Malik decided that was as good an answer as he should've been expecting. Ryou set him down, and at first Malik couldn't see why. Then, suddenly, torches seemed to blare and he squinted his eyes. In the light, he saw a monster creeping along the path. Ryou and Yugi already drew their weapons. But Malik was too repulsed by the creature to bother. Barely a foot high, it had the body of a furry slug with a large red eye in the center. His eye twitched. Such a thing shouldn't have been created by a god.

"Just what the hell _is_ that thing!?" he demanded, looking up at Sith.

"I think it's a monster," Yugi pointed out blandly, raising a confused eyebrow. Carefully, he poked it with his sword, and it made a squish sound as its body retracted. Malik's eye twitched again. He didn't know what it was ever supposed to be, but it didn't matter. It'd be dead in a few short moments.

"It's fucking hideous, that's what it is!" he declared, and pounded his fists together, "No worries. Let me unleash some ownage and we won't need to look at it anymore." Ryou just snorted. Malik was only assuming the thing could even be fought, since they hadn't even gotten into a battle yet. Hana smiled warmly, and Sephira just giggled as they watched. To them, the monster looked absolutely harmless. And judging by Sith's expression, she didn't think it could hurt them, either.

"It's kind of cute," Hana said, and Malik stared at her in utter disbelief. To him, that _thing_ was a monstrosity that would never be cute, even if he spent ten million years locked up with it. His eye twitched again.

"Cute? _CUTE_!? That thing isn't _cute_!" he screeched, "It's hairy and disgusting and it has _ONE EYE_!" He pointed his finger at it, and it squished again as it sniffed his hand. Taking it away, Malik twitched and screamed, "_STOP THAT!_" He punched it, but his fist simply went into soft blubber. Screaming, he retrieved it. That was one reaction he hadn't expected. But Sith had. Bakura turned when he heard her laughing.

"What happened?" he asked flatly, knowing she knew damn well what went wrong. Her smile went sly, almost smug.

"Damn thing's immune to physical attacks," she told them in amusement, "Some monsters are, but don't worry. There's got to be something that kills them."

"Like what!?" Yugi cried, realizing that they had very little in their arsenal that didn't require weapons or wasn't a healing spell. Sith rose a brow, unimpressed with his worry. Ishtar seemed similarly affected, and snorted softly.

"Magic, for starters," he replied flatly, "Use your fire spell, you idiot." Yugi growled, but he did just that. And for once, Ishtar hadn't been lying. The creature shrieked in agony as flames engulfed its body. Then, it simply burst apart, spraying them with a sickly red goo that spewed from its single eye. The experience was worth it; they each gained another level, as well as twenty gold pieces. Unfortunately, the resulting spatter marred it terribly. But only Malik chose to ignore that.

"Burn in hell, you mutated snail!" he laughed, but a quick jerk of movement told him Sith didn't want to give him time to taunt the dead. Ryou and Yugi walked along more than willingly. The sooner they were out of the cave, the better. And for a few minutes, the trip seemed peaceful. But when they reached the second to last room, Ryou heard rumbling, and felt a tremor from some distance away. He frowned. That couldn't have been too good, but they kept going nonetheless. With Sith growing more concerned at each step.

"What could _that_ be?" Yugi whispered, as the rumbling grew louder. No one answered, but the look on Sith's face was answer enough. She looked absolutely mortified. She grabbed the guide and flipped through it quickly, stopping on one page. Her face went white as Yugi asked, "What's going on?" Ryou had a feeling he didn't want to know. Nothing really scared Sith too much, but when something did, it was usually pretty bad.

"We're dead," she said monotonously, and the words sounded so definite that Ryou nearly passed out at her tone, "Game's corrupting again, and that sound is the sound of a boss we shouldn't even be worrying about until much, much later." Ryou should've known this cave had been too easy. He frowned, and Malik looked up at Sith this time. She looked worried, but there was a spark of determination to her.

"We running away?" he asked, and she didn't answer except to push down the O button and rush Ryou right down the path. He screamed as his body was pushed along, but he didn't try to resist. Obviously, whatever was happening scared Sith, and he didn't _want_ to know just what it could've been. Not even three minutes later, after narrowing rolling out of the way of a boulder, Ryou, Yugi, and Malik all burst out of the cave, all three screaming, all three gasping at air as though they couldn't get enough. But there was no rest for heroes, for just as Malik looked up, he screeched and dove for the ground. Something had swooped over him, and it initiated a battle. Bakura stood up angrily, unable to believe the shitty luck Ryou was having.

"What is it with these monsters!?" he spat in disgust, crossing his arms defiantly, "It's like they simply wait and plot just how they plan on killing you! They're as bad as those damn _mockers_!" Sith proceeded to simply ignore him, as she usually did. But Ishtar started his insane laughter again, and when Bakura turned, he practically screamed, "Why the fuck are you _laughing at me!?_"

"Turn around, idiot," the younger spirit said with amusement. Bakura turned. And immediately regretted it. For Ryou was indeed in a battle: a battle against three very large, very angry-looking birds that could've easily ripped them apart. Bakura's eyes bulged at the sight. He wished _he_ were there just so he could banish them from time.

"_I TOLD YOU! I TOLD EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT THEY WERE MOCKING US!_" Bakura screeched, glaring at Sith with twitching eyes, "_THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US NOW! WE'LL BE OVERRUN BY THOSE…_" Sith finally lost it. She stood and smacked him hard across his face, and she moved with such speed that he couldn't even react before crashing onto the ground.

"Bakura, shut your mouth this _instant_!" she commanded angrily, and Bakura was forced to obey. Whether it was out of fear or just being paralyzed from her blow, Ryou didn't know, but she did the trick. For a moment, silence reigned as she sat down. Then Sephira let out a low whistle, rocking on the couch.

"I feel bad knowing this'll be your family," she commented, and realized that created more tension than relieve it. Sith stopped for a moment, and Ryou looked up at her. That same distant look that had come over her months ago, when he proposed, appeared again.

"…" Sith said nothing, but then continued playing. Ryou and Malik exchanged nervous glances, neither one able to understand what was wrong. Ryou looked up at her again. And again, he saw that pained face, eyes clouded with something he couldn't quite grasp.

"Sith, are you all right?" he asked her, and she nodded, smiling. But it felt so weak and forced. Like most of her reactions over the past few months.

"…yes," was all she said, and Malik sighed until he saw something else swoop toward them. Unfortunately, Sith was so distracted, she didn't react. Bakura took her controller, more than willing to show those feathered bastards how he felt about them. But when she saw his movement, she smacked his hand away.

"_I'll_ deal with this," she snapped, and it was clear she didn't want another repeat of what Yaten had done. She had Yugi blast everything with Fire until the monsters were all dead. But even then, she didn't notice as their experience points mounted up. Ryou's frown turned to a scowl. He'd been dealing with this for months, but now he had to know what the hell was wrong with her. She normally never went unfocused like this.

"Sith, what the hell's wrong?" he demanded with more fury than he had meant, "You're not you right now." But Sith wasn't in the mood to talk, and her eyes narrowed. He stood practically on his tip toes, trying to hear her. She seemed to be mumbling her answer.

"…can't believe it myself," she mumbled, seeming to slip in and out of the Esper tongue, "Can't believe it… wished she hadn't said that to me…" Yami and Bakura exchanged worried glances. Normally, Sith didn't mutter. She grumbled and fumed, but she never muttered. Yami looked the woman over carefully.

"Sith, what's wrong?" the old spirit asked gently, "Who said what to you?" Sith realized that she _was_ muttering, and began to explain their actual situation. Ryou listening as she spoke, still unable to believe that somehow, somewhere, those damned Mystics were after her _again_. And when she finished, everyone had fallen silent. Her story was fanatical, but considering the state the city was in, it wasn't unbelievable. Bakura let out a long, low whistle, the only sound made in what felt like a long time.

"So now Ryou's stuck in a world where you can't help him," the old thief observed, "Why do that?"

"Like I know," Sith grumbled irritably, "Falnika's doing this to annoy the crap out of us, first and foremost. Then there's what I did in the past. That's enough of a reason to separate us." Bakura nodded, but didn't comment. That part of Sith's life was still shady, because technically no one told her what she had done, and it wasn't like she remembered, either. Ryou looked up at her, and took a breath as he spoke next.

"Relax a little bit. There's nothing she can do that would stop us," he said assuredly. But Sith wasn't remotely convinced. Her black brow rose, and amusement creased her smile now.

"Except to kill you," she reminded him pointedly, "Which she can probably do very easily." Ryou wished he had the guts to tell her to shut up.

Within five minutes on Sith's part, and four hours on Ryou's, a small town began to spring up over the horizon. That was cause for relief; the party was running dangerously low on potions, and Sith soon saw Bakura's skills in gaming were very under par. She explained briefly to Ryou what their objective in town was, and no one protested at the chance to rest up. But when Ryou entered the gates, he stopped suddenly and noticed a movement in the shadows. He alerted it to Sith, and Sephira watched as the man walked into the bar, glancing around to see if anyone had followed him. She looked at Sith.

"Looks suspicious if you ask me," the younger girl replied, to which Sith simply nodded, not truly concerned about that. Bakura took that opening and snorted.

"Holy crap, it's a _PERSON_! You _NEVER_ see those in a town!" he exclaimed sarcastically, "Well, let's follow him! He _MUST_ be important if he's going into a _BAR_!" Sephira took offense, but Sith was faster. She smacked Bakura over the head, and the spirit fell over, slamming his head into the table by accident. He received no pity from it, either, as he found Sith glaring at him behind her red lenses.

"Actually, jackass, he's important," she told him flatly, "Now shut up and let me concentrate. From what I remember, the objective of this game is to take down the empire that's enslaving the land. And he's one of the few who knows their secret." As she spoke, she was already moving them toward the bar, though Ryou noticed she made them move slowly. He guessed she was being cautious.

"An empire? Like on Star Wars?" Yugi asked, and Sith stopped and blinked. Of all the convoluted comparisons to make, he had to pick the one she despised the most. She grumbled a bit, and then shook her head.

"That's a _movie_," she pointed out in frustration, "This is a wide-scale organization. The two have nothing to do with the other." Ryou wanted to remind her that they were in a _game_ and that Yugi had a right to compare them, but he didn't. Sith was upset enough. As they entered the bar, they noticed that the lights were dim, even in the daylight. The air was also stale, too, as though a window hadn't been cracked for years. Sith rose a brow. That wasn't like a bar she'd been to before; this place seemed deserted, from the looks of the entrance. Malik shivered, looking up a narrow staircase to a floor above.

"I think we should just skip town and run," he whispered. Sith looked down at him crossly.

"I think you need to shut up," she replied, "Look, we need to know how badly Falnika's screwed this world up, and the only way is with information. I'm sure that man's seen something that might help us. Now stop whimpering and get moving. We've got a world to save." Malik grumbled, but didn't argue. Even in a different world, Sith was threatening; there was still the ever-present chance that she'd shut the game off. Malik knew better than to test her thin patience.

---

Upstairs in his room, Yaten sat at his messy, unkempt desk, looking out of the window. Hours had passed by since he saw Ryou, and while Sith didn't appear to be the least bit concerned, Yaten was a different matter. He was a parent, first of all; he felt it was his sworn duty to know where his son was at every single waking moment of the day, and the fact that he hadn't even called the boy's cell phone was a huge leap back from what he'd been trying to accomplish. He stood up, and paced around whatever part of the floor wasn't littered with garbage. And when he made a full circuit, he snapped his fingers. Whether or not he had a good idea was questionable, but he felt now he had a clue as to what was going on.

"Aha! It's obvious!" he exclaimed, turning to the window and grinning evilly, "I don't know why I didn't see it before! My son has been _kidnapped_! This calls for immediate attention!" Figuring that his conclusion was indeed what had happened, Yaten grabbed the dirty telephone off of the equally dirty handset and dialed a number quickly, sitting on the messily made bed.

"DCPD. Officer Rex Raptor speaking. How may I help you?" came Rex's voice from the other end. Yaten's eye twitched, and quickly, he spoke of his ordeal. To him, this was worthy of the tabloids.

"Listen, sir, you _have_ to help me!" Yaten cried, truly desperate to find Ryou, "My son's missing and I have no idea where he is! He's a good boy, and he never runs away like this! Sure, he used to wet the bed, and he never really liked eating oatmeal, but he's a good boy! I must know where my boy is!" It was pretty obvious to Rex that Yaten would have a complete breakdown soon. Sighing, he grabbed a notebook.

"Calm down, sir. What is the boy's name, and how long has he been missing?" Rex asked. Yaten breathed deeply, calming his nerves just enough so that he didn't give himself a heart attack.

"His name is Ryou Bakura, and he's been missing for nearly five hours now," Yaten replied, and then began hyperventilating again, "Please, do something! My boy can't be out by himself! He's terrified of the dark!" Rex's eyes narrowed, both from having to listen to the deranged ramblings of an unstable father, and from the fact that technically, Ryou wasn't missing just yet.

"Mr. Bakura, I can't actually do a search unless he's been gone for more than twenty-four hours," Rex said flatly, "Department rules." Yaten's eye twitched and he grabbed the phone.

"_CAN'T YOU MORONS DO ANYTHING!?_" he yelled loudly, not caring who heard, or if he yelled loudly enough to warrant Rex going deaf, "My son is _MISSING!_" Unfortunately, if he thought that'd get any sympathy, Yaten was soon to be mistaken.

"Look, pal, the best I can do is ask his little friends if they've seen him!" Rex retorted, equally as loudly, "You understand that I could be _fired_ for doing a pre-limited search, don't you!?" Yaten stopped, considering that statement. He didn't really want anyone to be fired over his son, but he was worried about Ryou. Finally, he made a decision.

"Just do whatever you can. He's my son," Yaten replied, sighing, "He'll never grow if I can't continue feeding him his veggies." With that, both men hung up. Rex grabbed his long coat and cap, jumping out of his office window. He landed on a moving truck below, going off into the slowly setting sun, as evening began to fall. Now, his newest job had begun, and he couldn't… no! He _wouldn't_ fail!

---

The entrance hadn't looked too promising, and when Ryou and his friends trudged up the stairs, any hopes they did have for the place went fleeing to the countryside. The bar had been all but shut up, and the fact that the door was unlocked was a shock no one could understand. Only a few low candles burned, and every surface seemed covered in dust. The air smelled of dust and ale, and Sith didn't trust any of the seats that were empty. The only good thing was that, amidst the ruin of the bar, all of the main characters to the Final Fantasy universe were sitting there, whether they were in the current game or not. Ryou looked around in confusion. He recognized no one, but knew this wasn't part of any game Sith had ever played.

"What the hell happened?" he breathed, more to himself than to anyone in particular. One woman, a green-haired girl no older than he, looked over at him dismally. She looked miserable; Ryou couldn't begin to blame her.

"All of our worlds are colliding with one another," she told him quietly, almost shyly, "At first it started off as people from different worlds suddenly appearing in ours, but then massive shifts began to happen. We began losing actual landscapes, too." She looked away and shook her head, "I'd say we're used to it by now, but that's like saying we're used to earthquakes."

"We're losing a lot from these shifts, too," said a gray-haired young man sitting next to the woman, "Houses, caves, people, loot, hell, even whole towns are collapsing from this. And what the hell are we gaining!? A bunch of people we don't even know." He jerked a thumb toward a man in black clothing toward the back of the room, "We sent Shadow over there to investigate."

"And was it Kefka who did this?" Sith asked. A young man with spiky, blonde hair shook his head as he sipped a tankard of what could've been stale beer. He barely noticed that he managed to spill its contents. He barely even seemed to notice he was speaking to her, either.

"Nope. None of the usual bad guys caused this crap," he told her, "This time it was some wench in a gray cloak. Said some shit about a creature called Mystics and left. When we saw her was when all this shit happened, so I blame her fully." Ryou wasn't sure he could trust the advice of an obviously drunken man, but Sith seemed to take the words more seriously. Her lips thinned, and when no one spoke again, the man took another big swig of his ale. Then, Sith looked down at Ryou.

"She's causing multiple worlds to collide," she told him grimly, "She's going to cause Oblivion to collapse if she doesn't stop." Ryou couldn't see how that would do anything; they were _inside a game_. But he didn't question Sith again, for he knew they didn't have the time to debate it. Yugi turned toward the stairs, and looked down them. Only a ray of wan light spilled from the doorway.

"We'd better stop her, then," he stated, "Where do we go from here?" Sith glanced at Hana, who currently held the guide. The girl glanced down at it quickly, and then shrugged.

"Mt. Koltz is the next destination. Not too far a walk from the town, from the sound of it," she reasoned. Sith nodded, and Ryou turned to follow Yugi, who had already run down the stairs. But a quick 'Wait!' stopped him, and when he looked back, a bear of a man came rushing toward them, stopping just inches from Ryou. He panted heavily; he must've been training for something beforehand. Ryou rose a brow as he regarded the man.

"Is something wrong, sir?" he asked, slightly confused. The man took a long moment to catch his breath; Ryou couldn't help but wonder what would tire such a person out so much. Then, the man spoke.

"Yeah. I don't want a bunch of _children_ up on Mt. Koltz," he replied, crossing his massive arms, "I'm going too." Normally, Ryou would've jumped at the chance for another party member. The man definitely looked like he could take down a couple of monster. But when he looked up at Sith, she shook her head. And many of the other patrons of the musty bar seemed against it as well. One man actually threw his spear down and motioned for the other to sit down.

"Sabin, what in hell you think yer doin', you idiot!?" the second man asked, "We can't go and do that, we'll just be slaughtered like the rest 'o them idiots!"

"Cid, be reasonable for once!" Sabin yelled back, slamming a fist on the nearest table, and nearly cracking it, "Some _nutjob_ we don't even know is causing all of our worlds to collide! Well, I'm not standing for it! I'm going, and that's final!" And that seemed to be the end of it, for no one else spoke for quite some time. Ryou risked a glance up at Sith. She seemed taken aback a bit by Sabin's words. But _only_ a bit. Her brow rose again.

"Since you all seem so eager to prematurely end your lives, is it possible for me to say something?" she asked, half-amused and half-annoyed. Everyone turned to the general direction of her voice; they met a screen depicting Ryou's living room.

"What in the world is _that!?_" the gray-haired man exclaimed, nearly falling off his seat, "And who the hell are _you_!?"

"That would be the person who's going to save your sorry asses," Malik told him smugly. Sith proceeded to ignore him.

"If we're going to beat the Mystic who's doing this, I don't think it's in anyone's best interest to help us out," she explained seriously, all mirth gone from her voice, "Your worlds have few heroes left now, and I know this. We can't go killing the ones who're still alive. You can tell us what you know, but you're not coming with us." That seemed to dampen Sabin's spirit. He opened his mouth to protest, but ended up closing it and looking down. Sith knew she had hit the nail.

"Damn it, the woman's right," Sabin said in defeat, "But I'll be damned to let you go without some help. Here…" He reached into a pocket and took out a purple crystal shard, handing it to Ryou, "This'll teach you the Bum Rush. That should be able to help you." Ryou smiled, and after a quick consort with Sith, determined that Malik should learn it. Malik took it without a moment's thought and put it in his pocket, giving Sabin a huge grin.

"Thanks a ton!" he exclaimed, and laughed as he clapped Ryou on the back, "Well, buddy, let's go save the world with my newfound power." Neither Ryou nor Sith were too enthusiastic about letting Malik run the show, but neither offered an objection; for once, Malik was motivated. Sith wished the patrons a farewell, and then moved Ryou's team out of the bar. But then, she stopped, and her ears perked. Ryou glanced up; she looked gaunt, and it was clear something in his house wasn't quite right.

"Sith, what's wrong?" Sephira asked, as the older woman sniffed the air for a moment. Her wings twitched.

"I hear something… I'll be right back," Sith replied grimly, running up the stairs, "Yami, take control for me!" Then, she was gone as she rushed up the stairs towards a noise that now was very audible. It sounded like a loud thump. Everyone blinked and murmured, wondering what it could've been, until Sephira spoke up again.

"But what do we…" she began, but Sith simply called back down.

"I trust you! I'll be right back!" she called, and then ran through the upstairs hallway. She passed Amane's old room, passed her room, then Ryou's room, and stopped at the end of the hall where a lone door stood. Yaten's room was dead ahead, and Sith narrowed her eyes in annoyance; _that_ was where she was feeling the disturbance. Sighing, she laid a hand on the door.

"If you are doing _anything_ suspicious, you are dead." Then, she turned the knob, not entirely sure what she should've been expecting on the other side.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, with information and exposition abound, Ryou and his friends now must advance onto Mt. Klotz, where the Mystic may or may not be. But, what perils await them on the mountaintop? With Sith leaving the game in Yami's hand, can they survive any fights they have? And just what did Sith hear from Yaten's room? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	5. Heading up to Mt Koltz

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of a pharaoh playing video games. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care if Yami plays video games.

"Uh… Yami, you know how to play these, don't you?" Sephira asked, as she and Yami now sat, taking a controller each to try and play, "Like, you know how to use the controls, right?" Yami scowled. He didn't want to tell her that he _didn't_ know how to play, but hell, he'd played table-top RPGs with Ryou before. This couldn't possibly be more nerve-racking than that. Besides, he'd never lost a game before. He had confidence. Sith was counting on that confidence. His scowl turned to an almost smug grin as he turned toward the younger girl.

"I'm the King of Games. I think I can figure this out," he replied, but there was something to his tone that Sephira wasn't quite sure about. He took a breath and led the party out of the dusty bar, and out of town altogether. It had been generally decided that, aside from the main protagonists, no one else in South Figaro would be able to help them. And Yami wanted to be far into Mt. Koltz by the time Sith even got back.

"Anything has _got_ to be better than listening to Sith and Bakura argue all day," Malik stated as they left the city gates, into the overcast plains that sprawled out before them. Ryou silently agreed; anything was probably better than whatever had happened that day period.

They walked for what felt like a few moments, and Ryou noticed that the sky was darkening quickly, and that rain was beginning to fall. At first, it was a soft drizzle, hardly worth the complaints Malik was ready to make. But the closer they went toward the northeast, where the range was, the heavier the rain became, and very quickly, they were soaked through their armor. Yugi looked up, his eyes big as he stared at Yami. He was visibly shivering.

"Can we rest?" he asked sadly, his hair flopping over from the rain. Yami frowned. He hated having to say no, but they couldn't take long or Falnika would get away from them. Sith would have a conniption fit if that happened. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Yugi, but I can't," he replied regretfully, frowning, "If that _thing_ comes back and we're caught off-guard, we're through. How do you think Sith would feel then?"

"Sith can deal with it," Malik muttered under his breath, "_We're_ the ones dealing with rain here." If Malik expected sympathy, he didn't receive any. Ishtar simply sighed, shaking his head, and both Hana and Sephira simply stared at Malik. Bakura was the only one rude enough to comment, which wasn't surprising for anyone involved.

"Oh, boo _HOO_!" Bakura said mockingly, pretending to wipe his eyes, "It's _raining!_ How terrible for something like _weather_ to affect you all! Well, why don't we just turn the damn game off until you dry up!?" He leaned forward to try and turn off the machine, but Yami slapped his wrist. Both spirits glared angrily at the other, and Ryou's eye twitched as he watched. That was the stupidest thing Bakura could've done, and he was really glad that Yami had stopped him. Though, if he hadn't, Ryou had the comfort of knowing Sith would definitely have killed him. And revived him to kill him again, if he was truly unlucky.

"We could just stay at the inn," Ryou suggested, but one look at Yugi told him that wasn't a good idea. Yugi took out the pouch with their scant savings; it looked like there was barely twenty gold coins there. With such pitiful resources, Ryou was ready to disagree with himself, too.

"We don't have the money, Ryou," Yugi stated gently, zipping the pouch back up and pocketing it, "Sith probably wants to save it for potions and equipment, too." Ryou guessed he might've been right, and found he was glad no one took his offer. Malik, unfortunately, wasn't as pleased. His eyes widened and he threw up his hands.

"But then where can we stay!?" he asked in exasperation, kicking a small rock as it slammed into a tree. Ryou glanced over and sighed. He understood Malik's anger, but it wasn't anyone's fault they had to conserve. Until they had buckets of cash, they'd have to be cautious. Hana glanced down at the guide, and grinned as she turned back to Ryou. That brought hope to the white-haired boy.

"There _should_ be a small crest in the foot of the mountains with a house," she said, reading the guide carefully, "You can rest there. That's good news. You need to level up, anyway. That place should be perfect." Yami nodded, and with directions from Hana, guided Ryou toward the house mentioned. It was difficult to do, since the rain and dark slowed their progress considerably, but even Malik stopped his complaints at the prospect of rest.

"I can't wait to put my feet up," he sighed, and then remembered the last part of Hana's words, "But I'm not keen on the fighting. I wish Sith got thrown in here instead. She's more into murder than I am." Ishtar and Bakura snickered, but Malik caught a disapproving glare from Ryou. Any humor he did have was vanquished; Ryou looked angry enough to snuff it out. But he didn't say a thing. He looked the other way, wondering just where the hell Sith was and what she was doing. It seemed like hours passed since she'd been there.

"Sith, get down here before she comes and kills us. Please," he grumbled. He didn't have the heart to tell anyone that he didn't trust their judgment over hers.

---

Meanwhile, Yaten sat in his room, strapping on old, worn-out army equipment. He sported a tattered vest that he assumed was bullet-proof, old camouflage pants, and big boots. He laced up some shoulder pads, and then put on a large bike helmet, feeling that it made a reasonable substitute for an army helmet. Then he grabbed an old musket, until a crash was heard as his door was thrown open. Sith rushed in, and then abruptly stopped when she saw Yaten. Her brow rose; she didn't know whether to laugh or sigh and just walk away. She took a deep breath and glanced at his entire arsenal. He looked like a reject from Saving Private Ryan. And she hadn't enjoyed that movie.

"I was praying you weren't about to do something stupid, but I guess Bahamut hates me," she mumbled, "Sir, what in the seven levels of frozen hell are you doing?" Yaten looked at her for a minute, and then turned and strapped on a plastic shield from when Ryou was a child. She watched in disbelief. _Was_ he going to war?

"I have _had_ it. I can understand going to the store, but it's been nearly five hours and Ryou hasn't even _called_ us! I'm going out there and looking for my son!" Yaten exclaimed, and walked toward the door. But Sith stopped him quickly, putting her hand on the knob. He looked at her incredulously.

"Before you go out there and decide to hurt yourself, you should know that I know where Ryou is," Sith said calmly, and as Yaten stared at her, she continued, "He's inside that video game. I wasn't lying." She waited for Yaten to say something, but it wasn't what she had expected at all. Yaten frowned. She had expected him to believe her, expected him to maybe ignore her, hell, she even expected him to laugh at her. But a simple frown was almost a disappointment.

"That's not possible. Look, my son is _missing_. I've already called the Department of Missing Persons, but heavens knows those idiots are slow as hell. Now get out of the way," Yaten said, trying to push Sith aside. She blinked slowly as what he said processed in her mind. When she finally understood, her mind snapped. That _really_ wasn't something she would've expected.

"You… _YOU DID WHAT!?_" Sith screamed, not realizing just how loud she was, "_WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? WHO DID THEY SEND!?_" Yaten, who was already just a foot away from Sith, looked behind toward her, wondering why she was getting so upset. To him, he did the right thing.

"Said his name was Rex Raptor. He said something about being fired for a pre-limited search, so that's why I'm leaving," Yaten told her, trying to get out the door. But Sith dashed before him and blocked him once more as he said, "Sith, move!"

"You called Rex… you have _got_ to be kidding me! He's a complete imbecile! He won't help you at all!" Sith cried, not even noticing as Yaten snuck over toward the window, "He nearly killed himself the last time I enlisted him! Granted, we were on a moving train, but still, he's not much help! Mr. Bakura, you can't… Y-Yaten?" Sith looked around, finally noticing that Yaten was no longer in the room with her. Her eyes fell onto the open window, and she heard the heavy crack of a tree branch. Hissing, she said, "Damn it, he left!" Angrily, she ran out of the room, storming down the stairs. She nearly knocked Sephira over before she finally stopped.

"Sith, what's wrong?" Hana called, looking over as Sith thrust open the door, her ears lowering angrily. She snorted with fury, but didn't bother to turn around. She had maybe a few seconds before all hell broke loose with Yaten.

"Mr. Bakura, being the supreme ruler of idiocy, decided to leave because he's certain Ryou's missing," Sith growled, heading out of the door. Bakura stood up suddenly and ran after her. Soon, Ryou heard her yelling for Bakura to let her go, with the old thief simply dragging her back in with very little effort. Or what Ryou thought was little effort. But Bakura's face was getting red with the strain of keeping an _Esper_ detained.

"Forget about that moron! Right now, my dear, _we_ need your help!" Bakura said quickly, leading Sith over into the living room. She looked at him, and then sighed, as they sat down together. Yaten may have been done for, but Bakura was right. Ryou was more important to her than that idiot ever would be. The only thing she wanted to know at that moment, however, was if Ryou was even alive. She _had_ been gone close to ten minutes.

"Please don't tell me you got a game over," she mumbled, as Bakura handed her the controller. She found she hadn't yet been greeted with a game over screen. That was promising. Until, of course, she saw the look on Yami's face. Immediately, she knew they were close to being dead, if anything. She looked at him seriously, and he shrugged his shoulders stiffly.

"I'm not the problem. Bakura is. We ran into another pack of birds…" Yami started, but Bakura cut him off, eye twitching with fury.

"They're _MOCKERS!_" Bakura corrected, even though technically he was _wrong_. Yami snorted and continued on regardless.

"Right… We ran into a pack of _mockers,_ and Bakura decided that ranting was better than fighting. As a result, they…" Yami gulped and sputtered with Sith rushed over and grabbed his collar, pulling him so close that he felt her breath. It was warm and there was a hint of brandy on it. He knew he'd be dead if he didn't word his next few answers _very_ carefully. The only problem was, with Sith, there rarely _was_ a right answer.

"Tell me they aren't dead," she growled lowly, "Tell me you bastards didn't _kill_ them while I was gone!" Yami gulped again, wishing Sith just yelled at him instead. Now he knew he was going to die. When he didn't answer, Sith dropped him and unpaused the game. Ryou was the only one standing, and just barely with six health points to his name. And when she saw she had no Phoenix Downs, she screamed, "_HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!?_" She glared directly at Bakura, knowing he was the cause of this mess. She wanted to throttle him right then.

"Right! It's MY fault those bags of crap with wings have critical hits! Blame it ALL on the Game Master!" Bakura cried defensively. Sith looked like she was ready to kill him, but she knew better. Killing him wouldn't solve anything, or at least that's what she told herself as she healed Ryou to the best of her abilities. Running away from the fight, she made Ryou head back toward the cabin, careful to run no matter what enemies they ran into. She couldn't risk Ryou dying. Within three minutes, Ryou made it to the cabin, and rushed in, happy to be greeted with a warm fireplace. He walked over to the beds.

"Sith, not that I'm not grateful for you coming back, but will resting actually help us? I'm the only one alive," Ryou reminded her, carefully setting Malik and Yugi on the beds. Sith nodded. Ryou thought he saw a hint of a smile, but it was so fleeting, he couldn't be sure.

"Resting anywhere that's permitted restores the party's health to full," she reminded him, "Regardless of death. You of anyone should've remembered this, Ryou. You have those on your own little RPGs, don't you?" Ryou blushed in embarrassment. But Sith said nothing more. At least, not until Ryou was sound asleep, which took about three seconds after that. Hana looked at her.

"Can you head back to the first town and level up there?" she asked, as the screen faded to show that Ryou was resting. Sith shook her head, her lips thin.

"There's a guard blocking passage back to Figaro and Narshe," the older woman replied grimly, "The only way is forward, and it's clear this is a problem. But with every game, there's a loophole. And I know one." Just then, the screen came back, and Ryou got out of bed, stretching. He saw Sith was looking at the back pages of the guide, and tilted his head, wondering what she was searching for. Yami asked his questions for him.

"So, this loophole… is it a cheat?" the old pharaoh asked. Sith grinned and shook her head. Whatever she was going to do was going to pay off big.

"Glitch, my friend," she answered mischievously, "A lot of games have them. This one's an experience glitch. South of here is a strip of beach with weak monsters, but for whatever reason, their experience modifiers are way out of whack. I'm going to train there and get Ryou's levels raised." Yami didn't like the idea of a glitch, but he didn't know what to argue with. Not that it would've helped; already, the screen was back up, and both Yugi and Malik were up again. Albeit dizzy, but they were alive.

"How do you want to know what extra crispy _feels_, you sack of shit with wings!?" Malik declared, and then when he realized he was inside a house, he looked up, "…Sith, when the hell did you get back!?" Sith snorted. Clearly, Malik suffered a little bit of amnesia over the past ten minutes. She was almost jealous. But she didn't show it.

"Doesn't matter. We're going glitch hunting," she replied sternly, "So follow my orders or you'll die. Again." That was enough to convince Malik, for he'd already died twice that day. Leading them out of the cabin, Sith headed south, running from anything that dared to try and hurt them, and came toward the beach in a matter of minutes. It looked like a normal, standard 8-bit beach to her, but to Ryou, it looked drastically different. The rain had ceased since they rested, but the sky was still dark, and the storm still threatened the immediate area. The air was heavy with moisture. For a moment, Ryou stood there, and Sith didn't move to stop him.

"What do we do about dad?" he found himself asking the older woman, "Did he believe you?" Sith snorted again. That answer was clear simply from the fact that he ran away.

"Of course he didn't. He thinks I'm crazy," she replied, and shrugged, "If he wants to go and get run over by a truck, I say we let him have his fun." What she didn't say was how all right she'd be if that actually happened. Ryou just shrugged it off. Technically, he doubted there was much that could be done even if Yaten did believe her. Looking to the left, he saw that there was a horde of monsters already coming toward them; they were nothing more than flies, and at first, he wasn't sure they were even a monster. Then, when the screen suddenly flashed to indicate a fight, he realized with amusement that they were. Malik's mouth dropped.

"Are you _serious!?_ Hell, even I can kill these things!" he laughed, and with a malicious grin, he said, "_BUM RUSH!_" With that, he rushed toward all of the monsters, and in a feat that not even Chuck Norris could compete with, he spun around and slammed every monster with fist and boot alike, taking them out in one blow. And with the experience that they received from such pitiful enemies, they now saw why Sith directed them there. They gained four levels in one battle, bringing them all up to level six.

"Oh, holy hell of hells! That's the most insane glitch I've laid eyes on!" Bakura exclaimed in absolute awe, "Fe, fi, fo, fum, watch out, you stupid Mystic. Here we come!" Ryou snorted and shook his head. He had a feeling that, even if they gained a thousand levels, it wouldn't have scared Falnika off in the least. Sith just looked over flatly at Bakura. She considered hitting him over the head again, and then just decided against it. She needed her energy for Ryou; abusing Bakura could be done at a later date.

"Bakura, shut up," she mumbled, "I need to concentrate, and hearing the garbage that dribbles out of your mouth doesn't help me." Bakura grumbled irritably, but didn't say a thing to her. Taking a quick glance at the guide beside her, Sith read the next passage slowly, as if to make sure she understood what needed to be done, and what she needed to do to prepare. Ryou looked up at her as Yugi began stepping on the corpses of their latest monster to make sure they stayed dead.

"Are we strong enough?" Ryou asked her after she kept silent for a minute. Sith read further, and then gave a grin.

"Well, the guide says level seven is recommended, but being behind one level probably won't make too much of a difference," she reasoned, and looked at the television, "As long as the monster roster hasn't changed, we should be fine. There's only one problem I foresee…" She looked at Bakura again as she spoke, and he knew fully what she was referring to. Malik actually laughed, and Yami shook his head, wishing she didn't encourage Bakura to retaliate. Which is exactly what he tried to do.

"_IT WAS THOSE MOCKERS!_" Bakura screamed again, sulking into a chair. Ryou slapped his forehead; sometimes he wondered why Sith didn't hit the thief _more_ than she did.

When they finally made it to the foot of the mountain, they had managed to score a few potions from the monsters outside, and Sith seemed to grow more confident of their chances for survival. The caves that dotted the mountain were many, but Ryou wasn't concerned anymore. He learned a Thunder spell during their trip to the base, and found it to be amazingly effective on most of the monsters. But as he walked into the cavern, he smelled something that didn't seem quite right; it smelled of decay. Carefully, they walked through, and found that there was no enemy in the cavern. Heading out into a sunlit path, it was the same story. Ryou looked up now, and saw Sith was equally perplexed. She looked grim.

"Something's wrong," she stated grimly, lips thinning, "The encounter rate's over seventy percent, but we haven't run into a damn thing. Where _is_ everything?" Despite her question, everyone had a good feeling about what was going on. The Mystic had already been here, and it was clear she took out every distraction that would keep Ryou from her. Yugi shivered behind him, his sword dropping to the ground in a mighty clang that sent Ryou's teeth chattering.

"What the others said was true…" Yugi whispered, "Sith, I don't want to deal with another Mystic! I want to run!" Sith's expression turned to pity. She couldn't blame Yugi. Not even she really wanted to fight another Mystic, but there wasn't much she could do. If they didn't kill her quickly, she'd destroy them.

"We have no choice," she said gently, "Yugi, I'm sorry. If anyone can kill her, it's me and there's not a damn thing I can do."

"But maybe there's a way for us to get inside," Sephira suggested, but a quick shake of Sith's head told her the woman did _not_ like that idea, "If they're like you, Sith, you _have _to be able to do something!" Sith's eyes narrowed, cursing herself for losing her magic. If she'd retained it, she would've been able to do a number of things. Ryou opened his mouth to speak, and then he suddenly stopped. A new idea came to him, one he hadn't thought of before. Yugi noticed this, and Malik caught Ryou as he tripped. Whatever he was thinking, it was bad.

"Ryou!!" Yugi exclaimed, as Malik set the pale boy down, "What's wrong? What happened!?"

"…when Amber decided to try and kill us, she corrupted other worlds, too," Ryou whispered, "We don't know who this Mystic is. For all we know, she could be back." Sith hummed, understanding Ryou's concern. But she knew it was unwarranted. Amber wasn't coming back. Oregshyn made sure of that.

"Rest assured it isn't Amber," Sith told him, "I know this Mystic. Her name is Falnika the Wicked." Everyone turned quickly to Sith. They didn't know how she had known the woman's name, but until now, they didn't think to ask. Ryou took a deep breath. Knowing the identity of their new enemy was frightening. But before he could actually ask Sith his questions, there was a rustling noise across a small chasm. Malik turned sharply, brows creased before Ryou could even open his mouth.

"What was that?!" he demanded quickly, clenching his fists. But by that time, whatever it was had fled; all they saw was a shadow leaping off the side of the cliff.

"Another boss, it looks like," Hana replied, looking down at the guide again, "Named Vargus." She heard Yugi give a snort, and looked up to find that both he and Ryou were trying to keep their laughter in. Malik had already failed miserably with that, as he fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.

"Vargus!? What kind of Ra-forsaken name is that!?" he demanded, roaring with giggles, "Do these assholes sit around and _name_ each other!?" Sith's look went flat again, and with a push of three buttons, had Ryou slamming a lightning bolt into their friend. Malik screeched as he scooted away, and then yelled, "Damn it, do you have to be such a bitch!?" Sith merely grinned smugly as she moved Ryou away from Malik and into a small cave. There, was the first sign of hope Sith had seen. It was a bright light, no bigger than Ryou's fists. Ryou could only stare at it; when Yugi entered, he was similarly affected.

"It… it's so beautiful," the small boy whispered in awe.

"It's a save point," Sith pointed out, "If you die, maybe you'll be revived here." Ryou ripped his eyes away just enough to give Sith a warning glance.

"I don't think we ought to take that risk," he stated, and Sith ultimately agreed. Nonetheless, she saved the game and, after making sure all of them were healed up, led them out toward the next area of the mountain. But instead of being besieged with a maze of twisting platforms and spiraling paths, the area was barren. Almost as if they had reached the summit. Except that Sith knew they hadn't. Her expression grew grim again as another movie began to play, this time showing Ryou walking toward the center of the ledge.

"Where's Vargus?" Yugi asked, looking around. The sky darkened again, and it looked as though the storm would be coming back. Sith didn't like it at all.

"Most probably dead now," she decided, "Most of the game's been altered, no doubt. Falnika must've slaughtered anyone who'd stand in her way." Putting down the controller, she consulted the guide to see if there was anything she could do. Running away seemed good, but there was nowhere to go. Hana looked at the screen for a moment, and then at Sith.

"If the game's different, do we even need the guide now?" she asked, crossing her arms. Sith's lips thinned. She didn't want to even answer that. And she didn't need to. Malik looked up at the sky for a moment, and now he had gotten everyone's attention as he pointed to something. Only Ryou and Yugi could see it right then. It was just a black speck; it was way too far away.

"What do you think that is?" Malik asked, but Ryou didn't answer. He knew who it was. So did Sith. And both of them paled considerably. No one was prepared to battle her, even if Sith knew she would show up again. For moments, no one said anything. The wind howled, both in the game and outside the house, but that was the only sound. Lightning flashed in the game, and Ryou could feel Yugi shaking in terror next to him. Malik wasn't doing much better. But the speck didn't grow much at all at first.

"Okay, this is creepy," Sephira whispered, but Sith didn't pay attention. The speck was taking form now; it was a woman. It was Falnika again. Sith's eyes hardened and Ryou saw them turn red now. The woman didn't slow until she landed on the edge of the cliff. Her hood fell away, revealing brown hair falling past her shoulder; her skin was grey, and on her face was an amused smirk as she saw Ryou standing there. She rose a slender brow.

"I must admit, I didn't expect you three to get here," she said calmly, the corners of her mouth turning up, "But this isn't unwelcome, of course. Tell me, Sith, how are you faring watching this?" She looked up at the woman as she spoke, and Sith's eyes were cold and close to flashing.

"Shut it!" Sith snapped, "Tell me why you're doing this! Why destroy another world!? Why not face me here!?"

"You're in quite a rush to push Ryou to his death," Falnika said to her, her calm unfading even against Sith's anger, "I'll face you soon enough, Sith. Rest assured." Sith growled, her ears lowering angrily, but she wasn't about to snap back again. Ryou knew that would just please Falnika more. He turned from Sith, to the Mystic in question, and took a step forward. This may just get him killed, but he needed answers.

"Why are you after me?" he asked her, "You said I have nothing to do with this."

"Was it Rath's doing!?" Yami added furiously. Falnika looked down at Ryou calmly, and then sneered when her gaze went to Yami.

"This doesn't concern you, _pharaoh_," she mocked, "You're useless to me."

"But what of _me_?" Ryou insisted, and Falnika faced him again. Her expression softened somewhat. But only a fraction as she considered him.

"You aren't part of this, that much is true," Falnika began quietly, "But you're insisting on helping Sith. We cannot allow this. And as I've said before, her magic seated itself in you. _You_ are, right now, the heir to the power of Aeroglyph." Everyone looked between Ryou and Sith; Ryou looked shocked and Sith seemed both regretful and full of hatred for that fact. Judging by her alone, what Falnika said was true. Bakura frowned.

"But then, if Sith has no magic, she's not a threat anymore," he reasoned. Falnika snorted and shook her head.

"She is as much a threat as she was before," the Mystic replied, "Or have you forgotten Aeon? Or how about that other human? What was his name?" At this, Sith's mouth dropped. She hadn't forgotten them at all. But she had never thought they'd be in danger, either. She took her glasses off; her eyes were much more intimidating without them. They looked darker than they should have.

"Leave them out of this!" she yelled, standing up. Falnika's smile returned; it was neither cold nor warm.

"As we speak, others among us are looking for them," the Mystic told her, "You cannot protect both Ryou and either of them." Sith looked away. Falnika was right. If she left Ryou, he would be killed. But… but Aeon! She couldn't abandon Aeon, and she certainly couldn't leave the blonde man. They were her companions.

"Sith, you need to find them," Bakura said suddenly, and Sith stared at him, "We'll help Ryou, but you need to find Aeon, at least." Sith nodded, but Falnika laughed hysterically at the notion.

"Find Aeon? We already have him," the Mystic said, but her tone wasn't as mocking as Ryou expected, "Sith, your time's finally running out."

"Just what do you mean!?" Malik asked furiously, brows creasing as Falnika looked from Sith to him, "Are you really going to kill _Sith_?" Falnika's lips curled into a smile again. She seemed a little too amused with the situation for Ryou's comfort. Airily, she waved her hand.

"If she doesn't kill herself, then yes," she replied simply, turning back to Sith, "It'll be a fun game, Sith Winchester. Don't fail us now." With that, she turned and flew off, leaving them in silence. Sith's mouth fell open, but no words came out. Slowly, her controller crashed onto the floor, but she scarcely noticed as the reality of the danger finally crashed down on her. Aeon was in peril. The blonde man was next. And it wouldn't take much for her to be lured to help them.

"Sith, how screwed are we?" Ishtar asked, but his voice seemed so distant to her. She blinked.

"Considering that those bastards have the only person who knows anything about Sith, I'd say she's as good as dead," Bakura reasoned, and Sith squarely smacked him with her sword. He flew into the table, but she didn't so much as even glance back to see if he was all right. Or dead, depending on her aim. She looked distantly at Ryou.

"Aeon is the only one who knows about what happened three thousand years ago," she said, but somehow Ryou felt it was more to herself than to him, "If he's killed, it'll be the end of my life. Without knowledge of who I am, the Mystics can kill me in an instant. I won't know how to stop them." She closed her eyes, as if unable to actually grasp that she was in truly serious danger now. Malik glanced at Ryou critically, but Ryou's face told him nothing.

"Let's go on and find him, then," Malik suggested suddenly, and Sith opened her eyes, staring down at him, "Come on, Sith. He's got to be in this world. We'll find him. Trust us." Sith's brows creased with worry. That'd be just like throwing them to the wolves. But what choice did she have? If they didn't find Aeon, she'd be killed anyway. But it was Malik's decision, and he was dead set on helping her. And she _did_ trust them, in her own way. She sighed heavily.

"I don't like where this is leading," she warned them calmly, "But we do need to find him. Who knows where she's taken him." Malik nodded firmly, and then looked forward. There was no clear path to go on, but he had a quick solution to that. He grinned, turned back, and saluted to Sith.

"Last one to Falnika gets to die first," he joked, and then ran and jumped the cliff. Ryou and Yugi screamed, but Sith just snorted; he fell maybe ten feet below, safely on a ledge leading to a hidden path. Either he knew about it, or he was just lucky. Yugi peeked over, and exchanged a skeptical glance with Ryou. Both seemed unable to believe how lucky Malik had just been. But then Yugi shrugged. They had a new path to go on. That was enough for him.

"Full speed ahead!" he declared, mimicking Malik's advancement. Ryou sighed with exasperation, and Sith laughed. For once, it was nice to see her friends were willing to throw themselves into a pit of spikes. She just wished she didn't have to be the one leading them to it.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After making it through the corrupted range of Mt. Koltz, Ryou and his friends meet with Falnika again, who explains that this time, she's attacking Sith directly by kidnapping Aeon. Hurt, confused, and determined to save her friend, Sith now leads Ryou onward through the game. But where will that take him? Where was Aeon sent to? And will Ryou ever get another party member? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	6. Bannon's idea of 'help'

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't think Bakura should be helping Sith play video games. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care, because Sith already spent money on the game.

Sith expected there to be some level of difficulty when she started playing this game; difficulty was inherent in any standard role-playing game of the century. She had expected a challenge, expected maybe to have to redo a battle or two if things went right to hell. But she didn't expect what she faced when they found a new cave to go through. Mt. Koltz had been corrupted, but to have the entire cavern ready to kill you was a feat not even Sith seemed able to anticipate, and when the walls began to crumble, releasing a giant boulder that gave chase to Ryou and his sparse team, the only thing Sith could do was run away. Not personally, of course, but she had to make Ryou run through the rest of the cavern. And considering Ryou's normal stamina, she felt her worry was warranted. Even as she pressed O to make them dash, the boulder seemed to gain on them with every second.

"I _really_ hate this game!" Malik yelled, as they ran through the caverns, down narrow walkways where a simple boulder shouldn't have been able to navigate on, "Sith, how the hell can you play these death traps!?" Sith would've responded with an equally annoyed remark, but the dire circumstances seemed to have softened her a bit. Her brows lowered in concentration as she tried to figure out what to do to avoid seeing them killed.

"Most of the shit I've played wasn't corrupted," she finally ended up growling, wishing she could just turn the game off and walk away, "This is worse than playing Aqutallion." Malik didn't know what Aqutallion was, but he didn't question. They had to keep their eyes on the road, which was slowly beginning to disappear as a cavern wall sprang up, ending their path abruptly. Ryou skidded to a stop, and turned to see the boulder coming toward them. His eyes widened in terror. Ten seconds and they'd be dead.

"Oh, this is just _wonderful!_" Malik screamed, as Yugi shrieked, "_SITH!_" Sith said nothing, but slammed the right directional button as Ryou swerved into a small nook just beside the wall. The boulder slammed into the wall… and kept going as the wall subsequently crumbled into dust. They heard a heavy crash and then a thud below; the boulder was no more. Ryou waited for a few seconds, and when no sound came from either direction, he stepped out of the nook, looked over the cliff, and wiped his forehead.

"That was close…" he sighed with relief, "Well, now what?" He looked up at Sith. She definitely looked shaken up, but she shook her head and frowned. 'Now what' was a good question.

"Now we have to get out of here," she said simply, wiping her forehead. It felt slick with perspiration; she was actually mortally terrified now. Taking a few deep breaths, she moved Ryou from the cliff. She didn't know where to go, but they had to escape. If anything else came after them, they wouldn't be so lucky.

"Quite frankly, the fact that you _haven't_ died yet is amazing, if you ask me," Ishtar commented slyly, watching as Sith guided Ryou down the new path. It was dark; the torches in the cavern didn't reach far into the new area. But something about it felt right. Hana looked over at him squarely.

"She almost did," she reminded the spirit, "Remember Yaten?"

"I wish I didn't," Sith grumbled, and then abruptly stopped when Ryou entered a new room. To Ryou, it was a dark, deep cavern with high walls and lots of gorges for them to blindly fall into. But what really caught him was the smell; it was a thick smell of decay, of death. And when he stepped into a puddle, he looked down and saw to his horror that it wasn't water. He had just stepped into a pool of blood. He risked a look ahead. Monsters lay beyond, scattered, broken, and murdered. To him, it was the most vicious scene he had ever witnessed. Unfortunately, to Sith and the others, it looked pixilated.

"What happened!?" Sephira asked in shock, knowing that it was probably much scarier to Ryou than to herself. Sith's frown grew worse, her look grew more grim.

"Falnika decided to entertain herself, it looks like," she growled, "She's going to destroy everything in the entire world!" Malik's lips thinned. Sith was furious, and for once, he wanted to help her. She knew much more about the other worlds surrounding theirs than he did; if she was sure the world was in danger, he knew it was.

"Come on, then. Let's go on before that happens," he told the older woman. She nodded, and wasted little time walking them through the cave. It was a short walk. The cavern ended abruptly, and took them outside, through the back of the mountain passage. The tension in the air had lessened as Ryou's team walked outside, but it didn't stop Yugi from glancing upward. They were right underneath the summit now.

"Think Falnika will come back?" Yugi whispered in worry. Sith's grim visage softened. She didn't like the terror in the young boy's voice. Bakura, however, shook his head. He knew evil far better than that.

"No. She's having way too much fun taunting Sith," the old thief said darkly, "If anything, she's probably not going to show for a while." He didn't say the next part, but Sith knew it: she wouldn't be back until she had gotten something from Aeon.

The exit was in clear view, but Sith didn't leave the mountain straight away. Malik had seen something glimmer in a faint crevice, and after some pleading, finally got Sith to let them see what it was. They weren't disappointed. It was a sparkling, red box, locked at the front with a sparkle of gold coming from within. Worldwide, it was known well for what it was: a treasure chest. Sith looked mildly intrigued. She had never seen one out in the open before. Malik merely grinned when he saw it.

"Is that… _treasure!?_" he asked excitedly, eyes shining as he tried to break the box open, "Oh, holy Ra! Treasure!!! What is it?! The Scales of Anubis, maybe!?" Everyone looked at him flatly as Ryou opened the box up. The light brightened for a second, and then disappeared as the treasure hovered over the box. It was… a bastard sword? Ryou frowned. That wasn't good. He could only use a gun, and Malik his fists. Only Yugi could use a sword, and only a one-handed one, at that. Sith perked an amused brow as she opened the menu.

"None of you can use it," she stated flatly. Malik's mouth dropped. A useless sword! He had never heard of such a thing!

"This day _really_ sucks!" he yelled, kicking the box again, "I hate this! I hate this world, I hate this game, I hate this Mystic, and I hate my life!" Sith was glad he wasn't next to her or she'd have hit him. To her, he was being absolutely ridiculous. The sword wasn't _entirely_ useless. Almost every weapon meant _something_. She just had to understand its meaning.

"Did it ever occur to you that you might get another ally?" she asked him calmly, almost sarcastically. Malik stopped screaming and looked up at her. Honestly, he didn't think there _were_ allies on that godforsaken world; the people back in South Figaro had said many warriors had already died. He shrugged.

"They'd better be a strong ally or someone gets to die," he mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets as Ryou and Yugi went to leave. Taking just one more look at the mountain, Ryou had a feeling what Sith just said held more value than Malik was taking. Another ally… but who could help them now?

"So, where do we go after we blow this craphole to hell?" Malik asked, as they stopped again for Sith to get her bearings straight. The fields beyond stretched for some time, but the ranges blocked them in on nearly all sides. And the storm had only abated temporarily; it was still quite dark out, and the clouds looked ominous above. Ryou looked up at Sith. She looked worried now.

"Sith, do you remember?" he asked her. She nodded.

"There's a secret hideout among these fields," she said, "We're not the only ones fighting against Kefka, or whoever took his place. There's a secret liberation called the Returners, and they…"

"Returners!? Are you _kidding_ me!?" Malik cut her off abruptly, brows creased, "Like I'm going to trust in a group called the _Returners_." Sith's look turned flat. She wanted nothing more than to smack his face off right then. Only the fact that he was in a different world kept her from doing so. Shaking her head, she put a hand to her throbbing temples.

"Either you trust them or I'll kill you and keep you dead until you're safe," she told him sternly, and sighed as the screen flashed, "I'm not in the mood for…"

"Why won't these fucking birds _LEAVE US ALONE!?_" Bakura screamed, suddenly cutting Sith off. She jumped and realized that as she spoke, her team had gotten into a battle again. And almost unbelievably ironic, the monsters were giant hawks from the summit beyond. Her eyes widened in absolute disbelief. Someone somewhere was just laughing at her.

"This has got to be the worst… _Bakura, what are you DOING!?_" Bakura had grabbed the second controller before she even had a chance to react, and forced Yugi to burn everything with fire. If he hoped to achieve a DOA, he was sadly disappointed. Yugi barely did fifty damages a piece.

"_DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! THEY'RE INVINCIBLE!_" Bakura screamed again. This time, Sith lunged and bowled him to the ground, pinning him as she had Ryou unleash a Bolt spell. That did the trick. In about one minute, they gained another level. Malik could only grin as he learned a new Blitz technique, courtesy of Sabin's lesson.

"Oh yeah! Let's see those sons of bitches stop us _now!_" he declared, flexing his muscles. Hana and Sephira whistled with admiration, but Sith wasn't impressed. All she had to do was kick him and he'd crumble to the ground like the sack of crap she thought he was. She laughed. It was mocking.

"Be careful what you say, or you'll find a spear wedged up your ass," she warned, but said nothing more, even as Malik returned her words with a very obscene hand gesture. She chose to ignore him; at that moment, an opening to another cave was coming into view, and she was sure that meant one of two things: they'd advance the game or they might find some treasure in a cave. Whichever it was, it'd help them.

By the time they reached the cave entrance, the rain started again, albeit very, very lightly. And they found that there was someone outside of the cave, guarding their entrance. He was an old man, somewhere in his late fifties, wearing a red robe over a green tunic and gold breeches. His hair looked not unlike a lion's mane; if Malik hadn't known better, he'd guess the man looked insane. He stared distantly toward the ranges around them, but Ryou noticed he wasn't even looking at _them_ specifically. Malik intended to fix that as he strode up toward the man, clearing his throat.

"Excuse us, good sir. We're looking to enter your cave and escape the rain. May we?" he asked in what Sith was sure was false politeness, and when the man didn't answer, he continued, "…sir? Can you move, please?" The man made no reply. Malik blinked, and the three of them waited for something to happen. Even Sith looked moderately confused now; obviously this wasn't supposed to happen, either. Finally, though, Malik lost his temper as he screamed, "_WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG, OLD FART!? MOVE IT ALREADY!_"

"If you are true allies, then do proceed," the man finally answered slowly, "Otherwise… leave." He looked directly at Ryou this time, and the boy's face blanched. Allies? Allies of what, he wondered. Knowing Malik would only make the situation worse, he took over and pushed Malik aside.

"Sir, we're searching for the Returners," Ryou explained, "Do you… know…" He stopped when he saw the old man's eyes gleam in sudden anger, and he took out an old, pewter rod. He aimed for Ryou, but didn't strike. Yet.

"And why would you be looking for that!?" he suddenly demanded harshly, "Be you from the Empire!?" Ryou yelped and stepped away as the rod was swung, but Malik caught it and promptly smashed it into two, throwing the pieces on the ground. Then he glared at the old man.

"Do we _LOOK_ like we're in the Empire!?" he yelled, throwing his arms up, "We don't even know what the Ra-damned empire _is_ let along being part of it! But, hey, if you want to kill us, get in line!" The old man seemed relatively shaken, and this time Sith forced Malik to stop before he gave the man a heart attack. Her voice was a force Malik didn't want to push.

"Stop it! That's the leader of the Returners!" she cried out, and when Malik stopped mid-rush, looking up at her, she continued to the old man, "Bannon, we're not part of the Empire. We _need_ your help!" The old man, Bannon, looked up into the screen as well, and his eyes widened. He had never seen a screen like that before; his world had no electricity. But more importantly, he had never seen an _Esper_, either. Not the monsters native to _his_ world, but an actual, living, breathing _Esper_ standing before him. Or above him, to be technical.

"An… a… you… Esper," he gasped, now visibly shaking with fear, "My… my goodness! I… I had heard rumors… of another race known as Espers… but you…"

"You know about Espers, too?" Ryou inquired, and began to understand why Falnika may have chosen this world to conquer, "And Mystics?"

"Yes. We know of both races, though many scarcely believe it to be more than myth," Bannon said, and shook his head, "But enough on that. Come. There is much to speak of. We can help you." Ryou blinked. That was an awfully quick and convenient change of heart, but he didn't complain. They followed Bannon into the cave, and he led them through a winding passage into a chamber that served as his parlor. There, they sat in oak chairs as he took a pot of tea off of a spit, pouring himself a cup. When he sat, he remained silent for several minutes.

"As you can see, a Mystic has terrorized our world and thrown open a gate into yours," he finally said darkly, sipping his tea, "Not only our world. Multiple worlds connected thinly by magical traces to ours are being affected as well, and many important figures are disappearing at an alarming rate… even Kefka could not have survived the evil we've encountered." Sith's eyes widened. It was no wonder, then, that they couldn't find the fool before.

"Kefka is… gone?" she asked, her voice soft and terrified. Bannon nodded.

"We believe so, and aside from him, many others from these other worlds have disappeared in an attempt to stop her," he replied, and added, "Sith Winchester, we need you as much as you need us." Sith frowned, and quickly told him how she couldn't enter his world even if she had the choice. She no longer had magic. He listened patiently, but said nothing on the matter. Something told her he knew more than he let on. When she finished, Sith gave him a suspicious look.

"As you hear, I'm also affected by these Mystics… but that begs the question," she began slowly, "How _do_ you know of me?" Bannon slipped her a sly smile beneath his tea cup.

"You are well known by all of Oblivion," he told her, "The Espers on this world know of you, and have spoken of you as being the 'one who created this.' Many eagerly await the day you come to aid them in escaping from this world, back to a world called Nesce." Sith looked chagrinned now, and furiously, she shook her head. There was nothing she could do for them, and quite honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to do anything for them. She had no magic because of their laws, and had been hunted as a criminal by them as well. Malik risked a glance toward her, and felt sympathy for the older woman. He turned back to Bannon.

"There's the problem with getting to these Espers," he said simply, shrugging, "All passage is blocked by Falnika's men. We can't get back or go forward." Bannon, however, wasn't convinced of that. He sly smile never faded. Sith dreaded it, knowing what was coming next. He didn't even need to speak. Already, she was shaking her head.

"They're not going through that, Bannon," she said firmly, unyieldingly, "Not now. Not without help." Malik raised a brow. For once, he had no idea what the hell she was even speaking of. He looked from her, to Ryou, and to Bannon. Bannon knew, as expected.

"What can't we handle!?" Malik demanded impatiently, and Bannon chuckled.

"Our secret weapon against the Empire," the old man replied, and got out of his seat slowly, "The Lete River. It's a rapid that winds all through the Serpent Trench and dumps east of Narshe in the Narshe Bay." Sith tried to protest, but Bannon held up a hand and simply said, "If you want them out, you have no choice." Sith promptly shut her mouth, silently cursing the man to death. Ishtar looked at her, raising a worried brow. She was beyond angry again.

"Tell me he's the ally you were mentioning," the spirit said, and Bannon laughed hysterically. In a normal game, he _might_ have been, but this was no game. Not any longer. He shook his mane of hair.

"No. In my old age, it's best I do not attempt this," he replied calmly, "If I were to die, the Returners would crumble. Our last defenses against the Empire would be lost."

"_WHAT EMPIRE ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT!?_" Malik yelled furiously, standing up so suddenly that he pushed his chair back, "Your world's going to die! There _is_ no fucking empire anymore! Why are you even worried about them when a _Mystic_ is trashing the place!" Sith glared furiously at Malik, and he realized he stepped too far. He clamped his mouth, and Sith turned quickly to Bannon. There was a level of pleading to her Ryou had never heard before. And hoped he'd never hear again.

"Bannon, I beg of you, help us!" she exclaimed, "I can do nothing. I'm an Esper with no magic! Surely, you must be able to help us!" Bannon's expression softened. He knew her pain. He had once been a magician himself, and in his elder age, had begun to lose the remnants of his spells. He smiled gently.

"I can help you," he told her, and walked toward the back room, turning on a bright light, "Come. I know who your next ally is, Ryou Bakura." Ryou's eyes widened. A new ally! He, Malik, and Yugi wasted no time. They followed Bannon into the back room. It was a large, dark chamber with bookcases on the far north wall, and a single chair to the right. There was a seal in the center; inactive for now, but Bannon knew how to get it working and summon their ally from the nether planes. He lit a candle, shedding a paltry light in the center of the room. It cast long, intimidating shadows on the craggy walls.

"Who will their next ally be!?" Hana whispered, as Sephira saw her phone go off. She looked at the caller ID. And frowned.

"Someone strong, hopefully," the younger girl said, and cursed, "Hana, that's my mom. We have to go." Hana cursed, too. She wanted to see this out, but both knew better than to stay past curfew. They both stood, and bid Sith a farewell. But when they reached the door, Yami stopped them.

"Sith, Bakura, Ishtar, and I will escort them," he said to the older woman, "With gates to that other world open, who knows what could be waiting here. It's not safe." Sith glanced back and nodded gravely. She couldn't deny the truth of his statement, as much as she hated admitting it. She turned back to the television screen.

"Good luck out there," she said to Yami, and when she heard the door close, she said to Bannon, "Get on with it." Ryou snorted. That was rude. But Bannon didn't object. He lit two more candles, fully illuminating the seal. There was a sword across a shield. It looked… vaguely familiar, but Ryou didn't know where. Bannon knelt down.

"Be patient, Sith Winchester," he murmured, but she couldn't hear him. Her eyes focused instead on the seal. And they glowed. Ryou looked up and gulped, seeing the intensity in the older woman's eyes. She _recognized_ the seal!

"S-Sith!?" Ryou called, but she didn't speak. Malik nudged him and pointed to Bannon, who was lighting another candle in the center of the seal. It glowed golden now; the sword was erupting into purple.

"Look familiar?" the blonde boy whispered, and Ryou couldn't deny the statement. The sword in the seal looked like Zealacht. He began to understand now just what Bannon was getting to. No wonder Sith was so angry.

"Sword and shield, work thy power. Bring your master to this hour. Sword and shield, work thy power. Bring your master to this hour," Bannon chanted, his voice throwing itself all around the chamber. Ryou shivered. There should have been no echo within the room, but the old man's voice seemed to be radiating from unseen figures all around them. Wind rippled; the flames of the candles danced melodically, casting long shadows over the walls.

"Nice effects," Malik said, looking around as the wind slowly calmed, "Did it do anything?" Ryou's lips thinned. The wind died… but only for a minute. It whirled up again, this time blowing out every candle in the room, throwing it into darkness. Ryou heard the crashing of thunder, heard things crashing and slamming into the ground, but dared not look to see what was going on in his world. Was it his world? He could no longer tell where the noises came from; they seemed to come from every direction at once.

"_SITH!!_" Yugi screamed, realizing at once that, paling to the thunder, was the older woman's shriek of agony as a blast hit _her_. It was a blast so luminous, it brightened the room instantly, the roar of the storm blocking all other sounds out. But Sith was there. Sith was _there_, with all of them. And she looked as she had, in the many dreams Ryou saw her in: Blue buttoned overcoat, with black pants ending at the knees in armored shins that not quite hid her boots. A yellow cape adorned her shoulders, and on her hip was Zealacht. She looked, quite frankly, terrified. Then, of course, she looked around and saw Ryou and Malik were by her side, holding her up.

"What the…" she began, and then glared at Bannon, "Whoa. Wait a minute! I am _not_ becoming involved like this! You helped no one! This is what they wanted!" She pushed Malik and Ryou aside, grabbing the old man by the collar, her eyes flashing red, "Why in hell would you do _this!?_" Bannon chuckled, and with a whack of his staff, removed Sith as she stumbled back.

"Because _you_ can mend the gateway and save us," he said simply, and walked toward the door back to the parlor, "I've done what I can. The rest is up to you." Then, he closed the door. Sith's mouth dropped. That was it. That was _it_? Now she was stuck in this world, too, with no idea what she could do. She shook her head. This couldn't have been happening. Yet, when she looked again, she was still beside Ryou.

"Damn it. I didn't think he'd summon Sith to help us," Malik said, after a moment of utter silence. Sith just hung her head. She knew what Malik was actually saying. He glanced at her sympathetically and said, "There's got to be something we can do, right?"

"Getting home sounds good, but can we even move if you're here?" Yugi asked her worriedly, looking up at the older woman. She closed her eyes again. To her, this couldn't be worse. Without her magic, stuck in a corrupt world, there wasn't much she could do to help _anyone_. But she had one thing she did need to do, at the very least: find Aeon. He was in this world.

"…yes," she said, realizing she had just walked forward of her own volition, "We need to get you three back home. No doubt that your families are indeed worried, and this is a war you shouldn't be involved in. Not like this."

"What of you?" Ryou asked her, not missing that she had said nothing of returning herself. She looked at him squarely. Then she unsheathed Zealacht.

"I have to find Aeon," she replied quietly, and looked away, "I have to. He's not only my friend, he is one of my closest companions, Ryou. I can't leave him here, not if I've been sent here myself." Ryou nodded. He understood that, and as much as he hated Aeon and the blonde man, he knew he couldn't stop Sith if she went to find them. He turned to Malik.

"In the normal flow of this game… what _used_ to be a game, the Lete River would lead us to the next stage. We have to go there," he said, and Malik agreed, "It's going to be tough. Malik, are you up to it?" Malik snorted, and then laughed. That seemed like such a redundant thing to ask. What choice did he have? He could either go on or die in this cavern with a cantankerous old man. He'd rather die alongside his friends. He slapped his fists together.

"I'm up to some ass-kicking, if that's what you're asking," he replied excitedly, and then clapped Sith on the back, "Don't worry, Sith. We'll take care of everything." She grumbled. She didn't like being reminded of her semi-permanent handicap. Huffing, she sheathed Zealacht and strode forward, toward a far exit near the southern wall. It was lit just barely by a torch, and they could hear rushing water. The Lete River was behind there.

"I'm not powerless," she told them bluntly, "I'm over three thousand. I know how to defend myself. Just do your best to protect yourselves, and we'll be fine." Then she slipped through the exit and beyond the range of the torch, leaving the three in silence. They stared at each other, each trying to guess exactly what Sith might've been feeling. Yugi gave up first; he took to following her instead. But Malik and Ryou weren't as excited to move forward yet.

"What do you think?" Ryou asked his friend, as they stood in the dark chamber, the single candle in the center casting dim glows around them. Malik shrugged.

"I think she's close to losing it, buddy," he replied seriously, and frowned, "Think about it. She's lost her magic, she's losing her sister to me, and now she's lost her best friend. How'd _you_ feel?" Ryou looked away. He would have gone mad at that. On top of that, she was about to lose herself by marrying him, however far away that was. And he didn't miss that she didn't appear in the least excited for it. She barely smiled at the mention of it. But he pushed that aside, and told himself it was just stress. She'd be better when things calmed down… wouldn't she?

"I don't want her losing her mind," Ryou stated after a minute, "Come on. Let's go and help her find Aeon." Malik gave a firm nod. Together, they left the chamber and headed through the tunnel. The Lete River was a stone's throw away.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After surviving Mt. Koltz, Ryou and his team find the Returners Hideout and receive less than satisfactory aid from its leader. And that aid comes from Sith herself. But with that aid comes new problems, for she still has no magic. Can she help them defeat the Mystic without so much as a single lightning bolt? Can she find Aeon? Can they survive the Lete River? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	7. Down the L33t River we go!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he wants to see Ryou roast a squid. SquareSoft owns FF6, and they oppose the roasting of squid.

"So you think Falnika has Aeon _with_ her?" Yugi asked, as he and Sith worked to get what looked like a wooden raft off of a rack and into a pool of water below. Ryou and Malik were taking their time following behind, but for Sith, that was more or less a good thing. She wasn't in the mood for Ryou to argue with her over Aeon. She looked at the smaller boy and nodded, finally succeeding in ripping the raft off the wall. It slammed into the opposite wall and crashed onto the floor. Sith blushed in embarrassment.

"It wouldn't surprise me," she replied, running and trying to pull the raft back up on its side, "At the very least, she's holding him somewhere she can control. I just hope she doesn't kill him. If he dies…" She didn't finish. She looked ahead distantly. If he died, she would be stranded by herself with no way to understand who she was or what happened. And she would lose the one person she could confide in, explicitly. She shook her head. No, she couldn't think like that. Yugi frowned, realizing she wasn't going to speak again.

"What _is_ Aeon?" he decided to ask, "You said you had a team of specialists from the ESB, but what does Aeon do? Is he a magician?"

"A Time Guardian," she corrected absently, finally pulling the raft up, "He guards the flow of time and makes sure nothing interferes that could destroy the fabrics of space-time." Yugi blinked, wishing he studied more on physics and the concepts of space and time. As it was, he had no idea how anyone could 'disrupt' time. He bit his lip, looking toward where they came from. Damn it, where _were_ those two!?

"So, why send him to you?" he asked, fidgeting with his leather cape, "I mean, you have a swordsman, a scout, and a gun man. What's the point of a Time Guardian?"

"I'm over three thousand. I needed a Time Guardian to protect me," she told him grimly, "Long ago, before I was sent here in the guise of a little girl, I met Aeon in Valachia, some six hundred years ago. That much, I do remember. We became friends because we were seeking a common enemy." Yugi could guess the rest. But six hundred years ago? It still sounded wrong for him to hear it. Most humans didn't live beyond ninety. Sith lived far above that. He watched her drag the raft to a cliff. The waters sounded calm below.

"So he stayed with you after that?" he asked, and Sith nodded, "But we didn't meet him until a few months ago. Why hide?" Sith stopped suddenly, blinking. There was a lot she hadn't explained to them, despite what she did say. She swore she wouldn't explain, either. But Yugi was safe enough. Her shoulders relaxed. She could trust him.

"When I was forced back into this world, Aeon and the blonde man would hear nothing of it. They were angry, confused, hurt, and terrified," she began quietly, and Yugi saw a glistening tear, "Aeon said… that it was wrong. He said it was wrong to force me to come back here, to save what couldn't be saved. To atone for something I had no control over. Bahamut refused to listen. He banned Aeon from helping me." She looked at Yugi sharply now. He understood. She had come back as a _little girl_, had aged as a normal human until… until she met Ryou.

"Aeon would've turned back time for you," he concluded. Sith nodded again, and looked away.

"Aeon would've done anything," she replied just as silently as before, "Aeon… and the blonde man… they wanted to help Katt and I. They knew… this wasn't our fault, but they could do nothing about it. Nothing that would cause attention, that would force them away again." Yugi caught the shakiness in her voice, saw her shoulders tremble as she spoke. Few things went past her normally controlled exterior… but Aeon did it. Yugi touched her forearm gently, trying to ground her before she collapsed.

"So they hid and waited until you were old enough to understand," he said, to which she nodded again, "…Sith… did you… are you and Aeon…?" Just then, he saw that Malik and Ryou both entered the room, and he shut up abruptly. Sith turned away further; if Ryou saw her crying, he'd question why. And while she normally answered anything he asked, she had no want to lie that day. Yugi vowed silently to keep the truth from Ryou. It'd only make things worse for Sith.

"We ready, Captain Crunch?" Malik asked, walking over and clapping Sith on the back, "Sorry we're so late, Sith. Ryou and I wanted to loot Bannon's study." Sith snorted softly. She highly doubted that, but she wasn't going to call him on it. She cleared her throat and threw the raft off the cliff, into the water below. Then she turned and smiled at her friends.

"We're ready on this end," she replied simply, and turned back toward the cliff. For once, she left Malik completely bewildered. He had expected some snappy remark or shrill retort, but she hadn't said a thing. And her smile looked so damned fake. He frowned, looking at Yugi. The small boy paled nervously, and shifted away. Which meant he knew something.

"Good to hear, Sith," Malik murmured to the older woman, but she wasn't paying attention. When Ryou walked toward her, leaving Malik and Yugi relatively alone, the blonde quickly spun on the smaller boy and asked, "What the hell happened?"

"W-what?" Yugi stammered, eyes widening, "What makes you think anything…"

"…whatever it is, I'm sure we won't want to know. But if Sith starts acting funny…" Malik let the threat hang. Yugi understood it completely. If Sith started getting depressed, Malik would know he knew about it. And he'd tell Ryou. He wanted to warn Sith, but a knock in the 'real' world alerted them to the fact that Sith had left Ryou's door unlocked. Any old nobody could walk in and see them.

"…who do you think that is?" Yugi asked, glad for a quick change of subject. Malik didn't particularly appreciate it, but he didn't question it. Some things were considered simply divine timing. Sith herself looked up, having heard the faint click of the doorknob. Her ears lowered.

"Sith?" That voice was from Riz, the girl who worked at Psycho Gamers, "Hey, I got a frantic call from Sephira and I wanted to make sure you were all right. She was speaking way too fast but…" As she looked around, Riz noticed no one else was in the room, "…Sith? Where did you go?" Sith's look went flat. Why couldn't this day just get easier? Just a little?

"In here," came the flat reply. Riz blinked, looking around everywhere, and when Sith coughed, Riz looked right at the television. She saw Sith. Or what would be Sith's equivalent in a super Nintendo game. Her eyes widened. Maybe what Sephira said wasn't a pile of bullcrap.

"…_Sith!?_" she hissed in disbelief, "How did you get _in there_!?"

"Some drunk of a damned sage did it," Sith replied, crossing her arms, "Heavens knows why, though. Apparently, everyone in this world seems to think I'm going to save them." Ryou glanced at her warily. Normally, she'd have been all over saving other people, especially when it put her in danger. What was making her so hesitant now? He wasn't the only one to notice, either. Malik had blinked profusely at her answer; he cut in before Ryou could.

"Okay, okay, past incidents and technicalities aside, we have a raging river rapid to get through, remember?" he reminded her, and looked up at Riz, "Speaking of incident, any word with whatever's going on outside? Sith seems to be concerned this world affects ours." Riz blinked this time, not sure if she should've taken any of them seriously. This was looking more like a freak show than anything Sephira should've been worried about. Except that she was _interacting_ with what should've been video game sprites. So, she cooperated.

"Nothing I've heard of yet," she said, shrugging. Sith grinned.

"That's… reassuring, for now," the older woman said slyly, "We can't see what's happening, so you're going to have to be our eyes and ears for our world." Riz's brow rose at that. For all she knew, she could be hallucinating right then. She _had_ had a beer or two after her shift.

"Uh… okay, but wouldn't I be more use if I read you the guide?" Riz asked. Sith gave her a flat glance, but didn't say anything. If it kept the girl happy, she had no complaints. Riz took her silence for an affirmative, and as Malik and Ryou walked toward the cliff, she brought up the status menu to see where they were in terms of levels. When they saw Sith's, Malik's jaw dropped. It was, unsurprisingly, very high.

"Holy Howling Horus! Does that _seriously_ say level _fifty!?_" Malik yelled in both awe and envy, "Holy shit, Falnika's going to die when you fight her!" Sith's face blanched. She didn't _want_ be to forty-some-odd levels stronger than them. But obviously, someone somewhere hated her.

"It's like some kind of cheat code from heaven!" Yugi piped in, and Ryou just laughed. That was technically true; Sith came from an entirely different world. Sith, of course, wasn't as flattered as Malik expected. Her look went flat again, her wings ruffling in irritation.

"A cheat code with nothing but a sword to her name," she grumbled bitterly, looking away, "And a nearly dead friend, too." Ryou's lips went thin. He'd nearly forgotten Aeon was still in trouble. Only Riz had no idea who Aeon was. But that didn't stop her from having compassion, either. She smiled weakly at Sith.

"Cheer up, Sith. I'm sure your friend's _just_ fine!" she exclaimed, trying to keep Sith's spirit from plummeting further. It did nothing. Sith stiffened, and walked toward the cliff. She bent down, examining it. But whether it was to see how to land safely or how to kill herself, no one knew. Malik snuck her a worried glance. He certainly wouldn't put it past her to kill herself. She looked miserable enough, after all.

"Are we seriously jumping, Sith?" he asked her calmly, raising an interested brow. Sith blinked slowly. She seemed so distant again. She looked back at him after a moment, and nodded, then returned her gaze to the water.

"Yes," she replied, and in a weak attempt to be funny said, "No worries. If you miss, the worst that'll happen is that you die. No biggie." Malik blinked profusely, and watched in complete bewilderment as Sith then jumped right off the cliff. He watched her fall a few feet before the mist bubbling up from the rapids hid the rest of her descent. Then he looked at Ryou.

"Either she needs to take a Zoloft, or she needs to read the _human_ definition of 'assurance," he said, and Ryou snorted. That was true, but then again, Sith wasn't herself. She hadn't been for a while. Ryou's mirth ended there; Sith hadn't been herself for too long now, and though he feigned unassumption, Ryou wasn't stupid. He knew why that was. Aeon only added to it. Clenching his fists, Ryou dove after Sith. Everything added to it, he knew.

When she saw everyone joined her on the raft, Sith pushed it off, and the current carried it down the path. The rapids were just that; rapid, and the raft was particularly difficult to control. Even Sith, with her abnormal strength, had difficulty steering the raft out of the way of the giant rocks that occasionally sprouted up under the water. She grunted from the effort, and finally, the oar snapped in two. Yugi glanced back, and laughed.

"Come on, Sith. Enjoy the view for once," he said to her, but her response was to let out a howl of rage and throw both ends of the oar into a cliff wall. Subsequently, that cliff wall crumbled a bit. She stalked over and sat, glaring in the water.

"Enjoy the view?" she repeated bitterly, "Let me see, Yugi… my best friend has been kidnapped, I have no magic, I'm stuck in a backwater world, and I'm going to be married. What the hell is there to enjoy right now?" Yugi promptly shut up at that and looked out over the horizon. He had nothing to say on that note. Malik, however, did. He coughed pointedly, watching the oar splash back into the water, along with a chunk of rock.

"At least you're not dead," he reminded her bluntly, crossing his arms, "At least Aeon has a little bit of a chance to make it. He's a fucking _time traveler_, isn't he?"

"He's mortal to an extent," Sith replied quietly, "He can be killed. For instance, a dinosaur could kill him." Malik blinked, wondering where the hell dinosaurs came to play. Then, he saw Sith point in some random direction, as if knowing he had no idea what she was saying. He looked. And his mouth dropped. In the distance swooped what looked like a pterodactyl. A very stony-looking pterodactyl.

"…we're fighting _DINOSAURS!?_" he screamed in disbelief, and turned sharply to the older woman, "Sith, do something!" She stared flatly. There was _nothing_ she could do. She had no magic, and the damn thing was so far away. But it heard Malik, and it came closer. And it promptly died once it was within Sith's range. She had no magic, but she could still leap. Using her sword, she collided with the pterodactyl and sliced its wings off; it lost its life only a second later when it crashed into the water below.

"There. It's dead," she replied simply, sheathing her bloodied blade, "Now shut up." Malik closed his mouth. With her unsightly temper, he wasn't sure anything he'd say could help her. Except maybe to give her an excuse to kill him, but he wasn't prepared for that sort of risk. He sat next to Yugi; the boy seemed equally as stunned into silence, and they both exchanged knowing glances. For a while, they left Sith alone.

That while was short-lived. Inevitably, Yugi found it hard to leave her alone when she alone knew the plot of the game.

"So, what do we do when we get to Narshe?" he asked her quietly. Sith turned to him. Her face looked gaunt, flung in the shadows cast on either side of the raft by the high cliff walls. She looked away again, seemingly sharpening her blade on the edge of the raft.

"Go after the Esper in the mines, no doubt," she replied at length, almost casually, "I'd have thought there'd be a war. If not against the Empire, then against Falnika. But I suppose she's too powerful; the Returners can only take so many risks." Malik understood that. Even in their hideout, he had only seen Bannon. He had wondered where the other members were. But he had a sick feeling they were either in Figaro, or dead. The latter seemed most likely.

"So, if there are Espers _here_, then they're in every world?" Yugi asked, when Sith didn't speak again, "What's the deal with the term 'Chesier,' then? Different variation?" Sith shook her head, giving him a smile; it looked a bit sardonic, and was probably intended as such.

"Espers live in multiple worlds, some being powerful enough to live on multiple planes in alternate realities at the same time," she explained calmly, "As for the term 'Chesier,' my guess is that, when the war of the Espers broke out three thousand years ago was when it came into effect. But what amazes me most is that the term is used only in your world. Nowhere else has that variation within their contexts, either past or present."

"Which means there's no difference except for varying strength," Ryou concluded, and Sith nodded. But the conversation ended there. After that, no one had a way of knowing what had caused the term to come to form. And no one aside from Sith wanted to know, either.

The raft continued along, and as usual, word of Sith's strength reached across the water. No monster came to claim them as they floated down the rapids, and while Ryou was a bit disappointed by the lack of experience, Sith was more than pleased with it. Aside from causing death to her friends, battles only reminded her of what she had lost while trying to save a world she was quite sure she was beginning to hate. But she said nothing about that. As of now, her job was to guide them through the world they were in, and currently, she was guiding the raft to the second leg of the rapids. It had begun to slow a bit, and a cave mouth came to view. The air was cool, but humid, and smelled of wet earth. And the raft continued to slow; Sith let it do so.

"We're stopping?" Malik asked, with his usual ability to see the obvious. Sith nodded, and using the Zealacht, pushed the raft toward a muddy bank on a tiny outcrop of dirt. On it was another sparkling light, not unlike the one at Mt. Koltz. She jumped off the raft, walking to it as she wiped the blade on her pant leg.

"On the outside, these are considered 'save points' to whoever plays the cartridge linking them to this world," she said, though she appeared to be speaking to herself, "But up close, they're condensed forms of neirchagt. How interesting." Ryou tilted his head. Sith often integrated the Esper language along with human speech, but he had never heard 'neirchagt' before. Quite frankly, his tongue couldn't form the word, either.

"Everything all right, Sith?" he asked her. She looked at him blankly, and then nodded, turning back to the crystal. Whatever 'neirchagt' was, it clearly kept her attention. He walked over to it. It gave off a luminous, white glow that warmed his face.

"Neirchagt is the powdery substance that rubs off of our wings. It's the Esper word for 'moon glow," she said to him, answering the question he didn't ask, "Condensed in a high form, it forms a solid crystal that restores fatigue, and when Libra is cast by an Esper, it shows them all knowledge gained in its _lifetime_." She spoke with such an interest that Ryou couldn't help but gaze at the crystal. It was _tiny_. It was hard to believe it could hold such power. And he knew he wouldn't be able to comprehend any knowledge it did have. He barely comprehended her words, for that matter.

"Oh?" he said, and Sith frowned at the monotonous tone.

"If Falnika mutated the crystals, then we may be in serious danger," she said more seriously, more grimly, and finally looked at him, "That form of transformation takes strong power indeed." That, Ryou could understand. Not even Sith had managed to transform anything, save for Bakura into a toad. And that was once. He looked from her, back to the crystal.

"Seems like every time we kill a Mystic, one twice as strong takes her place," he murmured soberly, "This time, we'll make sure we kill them all. When we're married, I won't have you running out and fighting them." He meant it to be partly a joke, partly the truth, but when he looked at Sith, he regretted even saying that. She stared at him, and there was a deep anger beneath those green eyes. But she looked away again.

"…agreed," she said, and left it at that. Ryou blinked, wondering what he said to make her so mad as he watched her walk stiffly back to the raft. She passed Yugi and Malik. She said nothing to them, but that spoke even louder than her words would have. They both watched her go, and Malik quickly glanced at Yugi. He knew whatever Ryou just said was the cause of _that_.

"Let's go," he whispered, and Yugi agreed. They got up and followed Sith onto the raft.

Malik wasn't sure why he sided with Sith on this. He rarely sided with her on anything, but when Ryou told him what he said to her, Malik couldn't help but side with her. It was clear she wasn't looking forward to the wedding, clear that she actually didn't want to go through with it. And that was where the confliction lay. Malik knew he should've sided with Ryou. But he sided with Sith. And when the raft was pushed out of the cave, heading through the rest of the rapids, he found his resolution with Sith growing. He frowned. This was just too damn hard. Why couldn't Sith be happy like every other girl?

"So, what do we do now?" he asked her cheerfully, trying to keep his mind off his new problem. Sith snorted, looking at the water. It was clear, crisp, cold… much like the expression on her face right then.

"Sit here and wait for me to bring back dinner," she said simply, and Malik could only stare. That was about as cryptic as cryptic could be, but it hadn't surprised him. Not really. Sith was always ready with a cryptic answer. It had to be because of her age.

"Yeah, that helps," he mumbled. Riz, however, saved him the trouble of asking her again. Riz still had the guide. And Riz had read it.

"She's referring to the next boss," the girl said matter-of-factly, "It's a giant, purple squid." Sith's grin widened when she saw Malik's mouth drop. _Now_ he couldn't believe her. She was just waiting for that instant.

"You've got to be kidding me! We're dealing with a _kraken_ now?!" he yelled, standing up, "I could deal with Mystics, I could deal with orbs, I could just about deal with kidnapping. But _KRAKENS!_ Sith, I _hate_ water! I'm tempted to drown myself _right now_ because I hate this adventure so much!" If he expected sympathy, however, he didn't get it. She looked over at him blankly, and then took a breath and waved her hand.

"A bit counterproductive and contradicting, but if it'll make you happy, go ahead," she said lightly, turning back to the water, "Not exactly _my_ cup of coffee, but I can't stop a man, can I?" Malik's mouth dropped again, and when he closed it, his brows creased. That was definitely not a reaction he was expecting. A yell, he might have been okay with. A scold was acceptable. But complete apathy? She really was out of it. He opened his mouth again to retort, but Yugi stepped in. By literally stepping between the two. He held up his hands in quick surrender.

"So-er… where's this squid of ours, Sith!?" he asked quickly, his voice several decibels higher than necessary. The older woman's look went flat, but as she spoke, the raft crashed into something hard. She went flying, nearly being thrown off the raft herself as everyone else toppled over. Ryou coughed and staggered up; that just answered Yugi's question.

"Spoke too soon?" he asked, glancing at Sith as she ran to his side, sword in her hand.

"How utterly convenient," she replied grimly, and spat, "Let's see what the hell happens now." At that, she gave a little laugh. Ryou didn't see the humor in her words. But if she thought battle was funny, he wasn't about to stop her.

Only five seconds passed before the water began to gurgle. Then it rippled and exploded into a mass of rain as a giant octopus leapt out of the water. As Riz had said, it was purple, and the term 'giant' didn't do the damn thing justice. It was _titanic_. It easily towered over them five times their height; its many tentacles caused massive waves in the already strong rapids. And its huge eyes were focused on Sith.

"Just _hold_ it, Esper! _I_ make the introductions here!" it roared, slamming two tentacles into the raft, but not quite climbing onto it, "And _heeeeeeere's_ Ultros!" It grinned, showing off its many yellowing, rotted teeth. Ryou backed away, and Sith winced. Up, close, and personally, not even she had the stomach to fight it. She'd rather retch. Malik, who was farther behind, just let his mouth drop as he looked at the hulking creature.

"This constitutes a boss battle!?" he demanded, and snorted, "This thing looks about as intimidating as the fried dumplings that can be made with it."

"I can smell the takoyaki already," Yugi agreed, remembering that, if worse came to worse, he could fry their enemy up now, "Heh, must suck to be a squid right now." This made Ultros really, really angry. His eyes went from yellow to blood red, the left one twitching as he heard the term 'squid.'

"Squid!? _SQUID!?_ You _dare_ call _me_ a squid!" Ultros roared, reeling back, "How offensive! Preposterous! Despicable! I am not a _squid!_ I am the much better looking octopus! There's a huge difference!" Sith blinked. To her, there really wasn't one. Both had tentacles, both lived in water, and both should be killed on sight. Both had probably blinded her at one point in her life, too. She wiped her forehead on her gloved hand.

"Could've fooled me," she said flatly, and twirled Zealacht over her head, "Only difference I see is that squid tastes better." Ryou didn't see how that possibly offended Ultros even more than he already was, but it worked. The squid shivered violently, angrily, and its body turned red as the water beneath it rumbled.

"You horrible sacks of _crap_!" Ultros said furiously, "Just for _that_ insult, I'm going to chew you all up and shit you out! Game over!" Thus, the boss battle started. To Ryou, nothing had changed at all; Ultros was just on the raft now. But to Riz, she saw a blinding flash before the battle came to view. However, both saw one similarity; Ultros was hideous in _both_ worlds. That was just a bigger reason to blow it out of the water in a single shot.

"I think I'd rather see old men in sailor scout uniforms," Malik stated, and grinned, "I can't wait to Bum Rush it!" Unfortunately, Sith went first due to her massive level difference. And _she_ didn't hesitate. She ran over, leapt off of one of Ultros's tentacles, and then slammed him on the head with her sword. When she came back down, another spiral cut lopped off one tentacle as well. _She_ had no idea how much pain she caused, but Riz saw the '9999' mark. Ultros _felt_ the '9999' mark.

"_HOLY CRAP, THAT HURT!_" he screamed. Sith smirked, and watched as her friends' turns came up. Ryou shot Ultros's left eye, and Yugi kept his promise to himself and lit the octopus's ass on fire immediately; the smell of cooking seafood quickly filled the air. As did the sound of Ultros's screams of mortal agony. Thanks to Sith and the power of fire, he barely lived one turn.

"Stop it! You all are _monsters!_" Ultros cried, trying and failing to put out the flames beneath him. But if he thought the onslaught was over, he was wrong. Finally, Malik was able to fight. He'd been building up his power over the course of Sith and Ryou's moves. Now he unleashed it. He leapt toward Ultros and spun around in the speed of light, pummeling the poor creature with his fists; each hit he made did only 100 points of damage, but he managed well over thirty hits before it ended. And that was the end of Ultros. The octopus fell right back into the water, and Riz watched as everyone gained their experience. Sith, unfortunately, gained nothing. But Ryou, Yugi, and Malik all made it to level ten now; Ryou even learned Antidote, Shell, and Protect in the process. Then, they simply waited. Even if the battle was over, Ultros might still be alive.

"Think we thrashed it?" Malik asked after a moment. The octopus still hadn't surfaced yet. Sith walked to the edge of the raft and looked into the water. It was black with ink, but she couldn't see Ultros. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Either it's dead or it _will_ die soon," she said simply, and laughed, "Nice battle, friends. Looks like we'll be okay from this point onward." Ryou wanted to say that it was only because of Sith's '9999' hit, but he didn't. If she felt what happened warranted _their_ credit, he wasn't about to stop her. They continued to wait another moment before Malik finally pushed the raft forward again with Sith's sword; Ultros hadn't surfaced and it was clear he wouldn't be. Sitting down, Ryou watched as Yugi picked off one tentacle that happened to fall onto the raft during the fight. It writhed and drooped pathetically.

"Think we can eat this?" he asked Sith, holding up the purple limb. Her mouth dropped, and Ryou looked away, feeling certain that now he might retch. How Yugi even managed to find such a horrible thing was unknown to both of them.

"Yugi, I wouldn't," she warned carefully, warily, "It could very well be poisoned." Not even that slowed Yugi's appetite in any way.

"But can we eat it?" he asked again, as if he hadn't even heard her. When her look went flat, he exclaimed, "Come on, Sith! I missed lunch _and_ dinner! I'm starving here!" Sith's brow rose, but she in no way agreed with him. She'd gone _days_ without food, and even then, she wouldn't be eating roasted squid. She shook her head.

"You realize that you _could die_ if you eat that," she told him sternly, crossing her arms, "And in no way am I being unclear! Are you certain you want to risk your _life_ for a meal? A meal that might not even taste good?" For Ryou, that sounded logical enough. But Yugi's stomach always won out on any logic he could hear. He grinned, his eye twitching. Things would be so much easier if Sith just roasted his food.

"_YES I AM!_" he cried, and chomped on the tentacle. Subsequently, he spat what he bit off right back into the river. Sith wasn't even surprised as she snatched the limb away from him.

"Will you let me cook the damn thing!?" she scolded angrily, sighing as she took a piece of flint and began cooking the tentacle over a small flame, "Honestly, if you want to die that badly, I really should just throw you all off the raft here. Screw ESB protocols. You humans are a damned nuisance sometimes!" Ryou blinked slowly, wondering just what was pissing Sith off so much as to warrant _that_ little hissy fit. But if it was meant to deter Yugi, it didn't work. He waited impatiently as she cooked his meal, and the smell only made hunger claw at him even more.

"Ohhh, when will it be ready!?" he finally cried childishly. Sith grumbled, shaking her head as she turned the tentacle over. It was browning nicely, though personally she'd have rather tossed it over the raft, far away from herself.

"You're in a big hurry to die, kiddo," she pointed out, but said nothing more. Yugi was fine with that. The food was distraction enough; he didn't need Sith giving him a lecture on just _why_ he shouldn't be eating something he clearly wanted to eat. Ryou just hoped it wouldn't actually kill Yugi. Even if it was poisonous, there might be a chance Sith could cure that poison. A small chance…

Of course, Ryou also knew that Sith wasn't feeling too generous right then, either. So, he simply watched as she finally handed Yugi his dinner, gulping with anticipation. In five seconds, he'd know if his best friend would live or not. It'd all depend on Sith and how truthful she was…

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After heading onto the Lete River and fighting the world's worst boss ever, Ryou and his group must continue on to Narshe, where the next leg of their game will be played. But will Ultros be back to plague them? Or did Sith thrash him soundly? And will Falnika be waiting with Aeon when they arrive? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	8. Villains are heroes, too

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he says Yugi hates seafood. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they say that Ultros is morally offended with takoyaki.

"I can't believe he made me cook that," Sith hissed at Ryou, as they watched Yugi eat his food happily, _without_ dying. He was the only one who'd take the risk; neither Ryou nor Sith would even touch it let alone eat it, and Malik was vegetarian. Ryou snorted, looking from her to the fire. The day had begun to darken now; the fire looked especially bright against the deepening blue of the sky.

"Just let them eat, Sith," he said calmly, and smiled, "When we get to Narshe, things will get better." He heard Sith huff impatiently, and felt her look away grumpily.

"So you say, but we're not of the same opinion," she told him, and her tone grew somber, "Who knows if she'll stop here. Falnika will go after other worlds, Ryou. For whatever reason, though, she chose this one." Ryou nodded gravely. Somehow, it felt more than coincidence that he decided to play _that game_ on that day, when Falnika took control of that world. He looked down. This time, he hadn't wanted to really get Sith involved. Not when she had no magic.

"Do you think Aeon could stall her?" he asked quietly, hesitating to get the name past his lips. Sith let out a short sigh, looking up at the clouds as they drifted past.

"He lost some of his power when I lost mine," she said quite regretfully, "If he can, it won't be for long. Not unless… unless _he_ shows up to help him." Ryou heard her voice grow quiet, and felt his own anger rise. The blonde man _would_ show up. He knew it. And as much as he hated it, he knew seeing the man might help Sith. Just a little bit.

But Ryou didn't dwell on that thought too long. Even though this world was losing more and more of its gaming aspects due to Sith's presence and still-lingering power, there were still battles to be fought. Defeating Ultros hadn't lessened the encounter rate in the least, either. To Riz, stuck in the human world, the television flashed to show that Ryou's team initiated a fight; to Ryou and the others, four pterodactyls simply glided toward them, swooping overhead. Sith drew her sword instantly. And Ryou had a feeling that none of the enemies would live long thereafter.

"Sith, be careful," Ryou warned, as useless as that was. Sith was far beyond his level. She could take care of herself. Except that she was losing health. And as she prepared the only sword technique she _could_ use in her handicap, she began to feel it. When she unleashed her attack, it didn't even kill one of the opposing forces. To say the least, Ryou was stunned. To say the most, so was everyone else.

"Why didn't it kill them!?" Malik asked, eyes widening as he saw the monsters scatter for a moment, and then regroup to retaliate. Sith barely dodged two of them; she took two more hits head on. And it was clear she was losing health now. Her skin paled and she fell to her knees, clutching her arm.

"Because I'm nearly dead," she said with strain, "Damn it, someone heal me!" Ryou and Yugi ran to help her as Malik smashed his fist into the jaw of one of the pterodactyls. It fell into the river and didn't fly back up. As Yugi struggled to get the older woman to her feet, he saw she was bleeding from her arm profusely. Ultros _had_ hit her after all. Her constant loss of health was due to the blood loss; but even Ryou's healing abilities did nothing. He was too low a level to heal her much at all.

"That's it. Ryou, give me your turn," Malik said, and when Ryou looked back at him, he continued, "Look, Sith's going to pass out soon. I'm going to Rush all these enemies, but we have to do something before she's actually dead." Ryou didn't disagree, and passed his turn to Malik again. Malik wasted no time; he unleashed the Bum Rush and subsequently destroyed every monster that was currently attacking them. But they didn't wait to receive their experience. Sith was still in danger.

In the end, it took every potion they had, and the raft's lone sail to heal Sith before she finally left the critical condition mark. Ultros had managed to slash her arm badly, though how he did so wasn't known to Ryou. He guessed she either gave herself the injury when she leapt at the squid, or he hit her on her descent. Either way, at least now she wouldn't be dying soon. It reminded Ryou of when she had been shot. Back then, she nearly died as well. It was only because she had a job to do that brought her back. And while she still had a job even now, Ryou sensed she was less than enthusiastic to complete it now. For all she knew, her closest friends could be dead. That thought affected the rest of the group as well. As they drifted down the rapids, two hours passed in silence. Two hours with no encounters, no battle, and no interaction. Two hours to let Sith rest.

"How long until we reach Narshe?" Yugi asked, finally breaking that uncomfortable silence. Ryou didn't answer. He wasn't sure he could. It wasn't how long that worried him. It was what they'd face _after_ arriving there. Either they were heading to their graves, or they'd find the Esper Bannon mentioned.

"Without Sith, I don't think anyone else knows," Riz said to him, and Yugi looked up at the screen where her face showed, "Can't be too far, though, can it?" Ryou merely snorted. In a situation like this, even five hundred feet seemed too far a journey. All he could do was keep his eyes on Sith. And hope she woke up soon.

---

After making sure Hana and Sephira had been escorted home, Yami, Bakura, and Ishtar decided that finding Yaten was the next priority. None of them were sure just how to explain what happened to him, but they figured they'd cross that bridge when they got there. Unfortunately, Domino City was huge; Yaten had left no clues as to where he would be going, other than the fact that he was looking for Rex Raptor. Not that it helped them at all. Rex hadn't been in his office when they called him. Now, they stood on a busy street, trying to plan their next move. They'd already been searching for nearly three hours now. Surely, the man would need to go home at some point.

"This is hopeless!" Bakura eventually cried out, throwing his arms up, "We're never going to find that idiot! Does he even help us!? No! He just gets in our damned way!"

"Well, we'd better keep looking or Sith might kill us," Ishtar pointed out seriously, crossing his arms, "The man's a walking safety hazard. If he's not stopped, who knows what he'll do." Ishtar let the thought hang. He himself couldn't say for sure, but he understood what was going through the man's head. Ryou was missing, and there was no trace to where he went, either. To a father, that was a nightmare. Luckily, a chuckle alerted the three spirits to the fact that they weren't alone. Sith wasn't with them, but they found the next best thing: Her sister, Katt.

"I'll tell you what he'd do," Katt said in amusement, holding up a bag, "He'll go on a rampage and justify it with some amount of stupidity straight from the voids of hell, like always."

"Katt! Thank the gods!" Bakura exclaimed, running over to her, "Maybe you can help us! Have you seen him?" Unfortunately, Katt hadn't. She shook her head, stepping back a bit.

"I've been doing some shopping all day," she told him, and frowned, "Why? What happened?" Bakura's lips thinned, but he didn't respond. What was he actually supposed to say, anyway? That they left her sister to save Ryou from what might be another Mystic attack? That wouldn't make much sense to Katt. Ishtar shrugged.

"Does it matter? We need to find him," the young spirit said restlessly. But Katt wasn't convinced. His impatient words told her something was _really_ wrong. She shook her head and put her bag down, tapping her foot as she surveyed the three. Yami looked relatively tense; Bakura and Ishtar were simply trying to get back to their current problem. All three looked like they were finding something. She grinned.

"I'm not _that_ different from Sith. I know when something's wrong," she told them suspiciously, and laughed, "Come on. I can handle it." Bakura and Ishtar exchanged worried glances. They couldn't be sure of that one. But they humored her.

"Fine. Some bitch of a Mystic named Falnika trapped Ryou, Yugi, and Malik into an alternate world where she's going to kill them, and she did it to piss Sith off. So now Sith has to guide Ryou to the end of the game, and if he dies in the game, that's it," Bakura summarized, which was more or less the truth. As he predicted, Katt didn't take it well. Her mouth dropped, and she stared at him in complete and utter disbelief. Then, slowly, she spoke. Her voice seemed shaken.

"Falnika…? Sith is… fighting her!?" Katt asked quietly, and Bakura nodded, "My… no… _NO!_" Katt turned and began to run, but Bakura stopped her. He turned her to face them, but distant rumbling distracted him, and Katt slipped away again. But Bakura paid no attention. His eyes bugged at what caused such a disturbance: a battle tank rumbling down the road. And seated in it was none other than Yaten Bakura himself. The man was focused entirely on driving. Despite that, he was still managing to run over every car in front of him.

"What in fucking hell!?" Bakura yelled, brows creased as he cupped his hands to his mouth, "_MR. BAKURA, THIS IS ILLEGAL, YOU IDIOT!_" As if that would've stopped Yaten in any way. The man snorted, shaking his head.

"If that damn detective won't find my son, then I'm taking matters into my own hands!" he yelled, parking the tank and jumping out, "You wouldn't believe how long it took to get this, either. I had to sign up for IRPO, and special leases from the SPK, Shinra, and all over." Bakura wasn't paying attention. His mind was on the tank. It was huge, and made of copper. But what caught his attention most was the turret on the back. It was large, with at least ten thousand clips in a charge. That, he knew, was far more destructive than any Mystic Sith would be fighting. At least in the short term. He grinned psychotically as he beheld the beautiful weapon of destruction.

"Oh Ra, this is just what I needed!" Bakura whispered, and laughed hysterically, "Screw finding Ryou! This'll blast those damn mockers right out of the sky! _TAKE THAT FOR CRAPPING ON OUR CAR, CHARLATANS!_" His yells were so loud, so shrill, so earsplitting, that every bird nearby flew as far away as they could from the deranged thief. Yami growled angrily, and taking Katt's bag, slammed it over Bakura's head. They didn't have time for his wild shenanigans.

"Would you stop that!?" Yami snapped angrily, "We have to bring him back with us!" Bakura raised an amused brow and nodded with complete understanding. Then he bent down and picked up a large stick, showing it to Yami and pointing to Yaten. Yami blinked for a long moment. What was Bakura getting to?

"Watch," Bakura said, and then proceeded to throw the stick. It hit Yaten square in the head, and the man fell over with an earsplitting crack. Yami winced; there was a good chance the poor guy just broke a bone. Which meant there was a chance Sith would lose it when they got back. He grabbed Bakura by the collar.

"That's _NOT WHAT I MEANT!_" he screamed, shaking Bakura. But the thief ripped his arms off his neck, turned, and stormed off. Yami watched him go, realizing that, while Bakura hurt the man, he did make it easier to transport him. Surely, Sith wouldn't completely lose it for that. Then again, this was Sith Winchester they were trying to help. The woman was crazy enough to try and kill them. And she would have succeeded, too. Yami just hung his head. Sometimes, being her friend sucked.

---

The hours passed lazily by for Ryou and his team as they weaved down the rapids, which eventually opened up for a short while onto a trench that Sith explained was the 'Serpent of the World.' It had been some time since she'd woken up, and Ryou saw that rest appeared to be what she needed. She seemed calm again. They remained on the trench in silence, and eventually, Sith looked over the side of the raft. The water was growing shallow; she could see rocks on the bottom of the glassy water. Smiling weakly, she turned to Ryou. Yugi and Malik were already asleep.

"Narshe isn't far now," she told him quietly. He nodded, and walked over to join her. The water looked fresh. It was hard to believe even then, that monsters inhabited it.

"What do we do after finding the Esper?" he asked her again. Sith looked down. She didn't have an answer. She had to find out _where_ to go to find Aeon before just trudging in blindly. Ryou knew this. And they both knew that wherever the time keeper was, Falnika was there, too.

But they had no time to discuss the matter. The water had grown too shallow. The raft bumped up against the bottom of the trench, jarring their movements and bouncing everyone around. Finally, the raft stopped. It stopped with such a force that Malik was promptly thrown off; everyone else had shifted their weight on time. The poor boy flew right through the air, slamming into the shoreline not fifteen feet away. And he certainly didn't appreciate the harsh wake up call. He coughed and sputtered, lifting his nearly-half-buried head.

"_FUCK!_" he screamed angrily, and turned to see his friends disembarking from the rubble that used to be their transportation, "Thbbbt! This sand? Just as fucking disgusting as the sand in Egypt!" Ryou and Yugi exchanged sympathetic glances, but Sith wasn't as compassionate. She snorted in mock amusement as she passed Malik, wiping her forehead on her glove. Then she looked up. Mountains surrounded them to the north, south, and northwest. Only a small path was open, and it led directly to Narshe proper. She didn't like that. It'd take them right into the pit of danger.

"Is she here, Sith?" Yugi asked, running behind her before she went too far. Sith didn't look at him, but she shook her head. Her eyes never left the northern range.

"No. But we've landed east of the proper. If we go in, we're going to be arrested," she told him grimly, and crossed her arms, "We must've drifted off too far north on the rapids. The trench ends in a lake southwest of here, or at least it was supposed to."

"Does she seriously have guards posted there?" Malik asked with worry, as Ryou helped him walk toward the two. Sith finally glanced back. Her expression told Malik he had hit the nail on the head.

"If not her, then someone in Narshe doesn't want us there," she replied calmly, and looked at the path again, "We may have to battle our way through to get to the mines. Hopefully, if they're smart, they'll know who I am and will run far and fast." She didn't say that it felt like everyone knew who she was, but Ryou understood the point. From this distance, Narshe looked relatively empty. But if Sith smelled guards, then there had to be guards. She had, over the past few years, developed a good sense of where danger lay, and more importantly, how to avoid it.

"Isn't there a way to sneak past?" Riz asked her. Sith hesitated.

"Who is to say she hasn't blocked it off?" came the quiet reply, and Sith continued, "There is, but it's the long way through the mines." That, Ryou knew, had to be safer than battling fifty men at once, so he told her to show them anyway. Sith sighed; she didn't want to do it this way, but she relented and beckoned them to follow her. The path was short, and luckily it seemed to wind _behind_ the manors of the older neighborhood. She used that to her advantage, and saw that indeed, if she engaged a fight head-on, she might have lost. Guards were heavily interspersed in the proper, most particularly in the center of the town's square.

Keeping to the shadows, however, was relatively simple, and they evaded the eyes of the guards. They crept toward the front, and in a few moments, Sith had gotten them to the mouth of the cave. It was concealed with strong magic, but Sith was far stronger. One swipe of Zealacht ripped the barrier apart.

"Think it's safe?" Ryou asked her, and Sith nodded. It didn't matter if it was or not. This was their path now, and she took the first steps, quickly vanishing in the darkness. Yugi lit a fire spell and ran after her; Ryou and Malik took the rear. With a small ability to see, they found the cave had been abandoned for some time now. There were tools and crates, but rust and rot claimed them currently, and the tracks from long before all but seemed to vanish under the dirty path. Malik shivered. This had to be a secret passage; it was clear no one else used it for some time now.

"If this is a bandit's cave, I'm leaving," he grumbled, as they tramped down an incline toward a damp tunnel. Sith sighed heavily. The last thing she wanted was a complainer.

"Think of it this way, asshole. If it is, there's treasure here, too," she reminded him pointedly, but that only served to get him motivated. He nodded. Their last treasure chest had been useless, but this might be promising. He aimed to keep going, for the sake of finding a decent reward.

"I don't think I'd want to steal from a thief…" Yugi whispered nervously, and Ryou chuckled. The only example they had was Bakura, and they stole from him on a pretty regular basis. He patted Yugi's back. There wasn't much reason to be afraid… except that thirty feet in, they found a treasure chest. Yugi groaned. That was just bad timing.

"Sweet!" Malik exclaimed, and grinned, "Please be something Sith can't use!" He laughed at the glare he received, but ignored Sith as he kicked open the chest. A brass knuckle greeted him. And as he wished, he _could_ use it. He strapped it on. And that was when Sith shot her retort.

"Maybe now you won't be so goddamn useless," she said, and Malik's mouth dropped. Useless!? He wanted to shout that it wasn't their fault she was the Uber-Death, but when he grabbed her arm, she stopped him immediately. She heard grumbling in the next room, and now Malik heard it as well. They looked beyond in the darkness; no discernable shape could be seen, but the grumbling grew louder. Malik glanced at Sith.

"Who the hell would be down _here_?" he whispered.

"Not sure, but let's run," Ryou suggested. Sith followed it, except that she ran _toward_ the noise, not away from it. Ryou groaned and yelled, "Sith, stop!" But she ignored him. She knew the voice. She recognized the tone. And now she'd kill the man in the next room, because he was what should've been the villain in that world.

"Kefka!" Sith screamed, and Ryou heard the clang of a sword. He knew she drew Zealacht, and quickly, he ran to stop her. With how screwed up everything had been, she might just kill an innocent man. But when he entered the next chamber, Sith hadn't yet attacked. The man she went after, dressed as he was like a scary-looking lord of aristocracy, was cowering from her. But when he saw Ryou, he gained some level of confidence. Perhaps he'd live, after all.

"Call off your Esper and we'll talk," Kefka said to Ryou, and grinned, "I am Kefka, the master of what used to be the Imperial Empire of Vector. I'm quite sure you'd like information as to…"

"_YOU_ are Kefka!?" Malik exclaimed, and laughed, "You look like a reject from the circus."

"_Excuse me!?_ Do you have any idea who I am!?" Kefka demanded hotly, and scoffed, "Well, then, I suppose you _don't_ want my help! Fine! I'll just go slaughter everyone in Narshe! What should _you_ care!?" He turned to storm out, and Sith proceeded to slam Malik on the head for his big mouth. They wasn't what she intended, but neither was going back to a sea of blood in the city. Malik wasn't making it better with his wiseass remarks.

"Do it and you _will_ die," Sith said firmly, and aimed her sword. Kefka stopped abruptly, and looked back as she said, "I am Sith Winchester of the world of Nesce, capital of the Espers. I _demand_ to know what's happened here." Kefka's momentary confidence was deflated. This woman _was_ an Esper, after all. No wonder she tried to kill him. He sighed. Seemed like everyone just wanted him dead at that point.

"Then your guess is about as good as mine. I returned to Vector and found it deserted," Kefka told her sharply, crossing his arms, "I have no idea what's going on, but I do know someone's taken my throne. Vector is all but burned to cinders now."

"_What!?_" Sith's eyes widened in terror, and she turned to Ryou, "Vector is well-known. Their empire manufactures war machines and many types of magical weapons. If Falnika's destroyed it…" Ryou nodded. If it was destroyed, then she had access to every weapon Kefka previously owned. No wonder she didn't consider Sith a threat in the least. Kefka's frown worsened.

"That's why I ran here," he told her, "Whoever took my capital is insane. She's already firing most of the heavy lasers. I figured if I woke the Esper here, I could stop her. But the damn thing's gone. It's not at the summit anymore." Sith's eyes hardened. Bannon _never_ mentioned that the Esper had been destroyed. She and Ryou exchanged worried glances. Without the Esper, there was no point in being here.

"What can we do?" Ryou asked her, but she shrugged.

"Head to Vector, it looks like," she said simply, "There's a chance Falnika's still there. We might be able to catch her." But even Sith wasn't strong enough to oppose the Mystic for long. Ryou knew her plan wouldn't hold up. Yugi blinked as Sith and Ryou exchanged a brief word or two, and then looked at Kefka.

"So it's really gone?" he asked. Malik growled, and shook his head. It couldn't be! They had come so far for it to just vanish!

"Don't say that!" he exclaimed furiously, "It's here!"

"It's gone," Kefka told them quietly. Malik couldn't take it. He pushed past Kefka and ran down the passage, climbing the makeshift ladders upward until he managed to break out of the mines and into a field of snow. Sith came shortly after, but he didn't stop even at her approach. If anything, he ran faster. Sith just grumbled, shaking her head. Why couldn't he wait for her?

By the time they had reached the summit, the snow had subsided and the wind died down enough to not cut through them. But when Sith finally caught up, she found Malik simply staring down the edge of the range. She joined him; it was probably best for her to be there in case he managed to fall off. He glanced at her sideways.

"I'm going to climb down and get it," he said to her, "Think it fell off?" She snorted, crossing her arms.

"Be careful," she told him grimly, frowning, "This place is unstable. Don't go getting yourself killed." Malik nodded, and then carefully picked his way among the scattered patches of ice and dirt. It was tough; there was no traction anymore, and his boots weren't made for extreme hiking. But Sith was there, and he was confident she'd help him. Except that he felt something push him over the edge, and he found himself screaming just a second later. He grabbed onto a branch just a few feet off the ledge, and looked up, shivering. Why… why did Sith do that!?

"_SITH!_" Malik screamed, brows creasing, "_WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU…_" He didn't finish when he saw Yugi fall over the edge, too. But the poor boy was unconscious; something had struck him on the head. And he saw that Sith had been struck as well. The woman was in a heap on the ground. Only Ryou was left standing. And he was being backed onto the edge of the cliff as well. Malik yelled, "What the hell!?" And he promptly heard an insane fit of laughter with the click of a gun.

"Hello, _Ryou Bakura_," the voice spat, and Malik saw that it was the blonde man he had seen just barely at Kaiba's party, months ago, "Remember me?" Malik shivered. The man sounded insane, and now he wasn't so sure that jumping off the cliff was the best course of action. Mainly because it left him hanging uselessly over a cliff, and Ryou nearly defenseless. But the blonde man looked down at the cliff and said, "You're still alive?" He snorted, and shot the branch until it cracked. Malik screamed again, and then he plummeted down to the depths of the caverns below. Ryou's eyes widened as he rushed to the cliff.

"_MALIK!_" he screamed, and was about to jump when the blonde man stopped him, "Damn it, let go! They're hurt! You might've killed them!"

"Pity, because you're the only one I want dead right now," the blonde man replied darkly, his good eye glowing with anger, "Didn't think you'd see me again, eh? I haven't forgotten what you did." He aimed his gun and continued, "Trust me, it broke my heart to hear Sith actually say yes. Now I'm going to break your spine."

"W-why!?" Ryou demanded, terror flooding his better judgment, "Why now!? Why here!?" He glanced at Sith again. The blonde man had knocked her out… but hadn't thrown her off the cliff. Ryou had to buy her time to get up. But the blonde man caught his glance and grinned. He looked… feral.

"Why not here?" he asked slowly, and then looked down at his gun, patting it lovingly, "It's the perfect time. Don't tell me it isn't. We both know Sith doesn't want to marry you." Ryou froze. He had always suspected that, just a bit, but to hear it so plainly, stated so bluntly… it was like being slapped in the face. And the man knew he hit him, too. He clicked the gun and said, "We'll decide here and now who takes Sith."

"You're crazy!" Ryou cried, backing away, "You can't! You can't force Sith to choose! You…"

"Force? _Force Sith!?_" the blonde man shrieked with laughter now, and shook his head violently, "You don't know anything! Sith already chose, you idiot! The only reason she chose _you_ was…" Ryou heard enough. He clenched his fists and went after the blonde man, both of them tumbling off the cliff. Ryou screamed, but he also clawed and scratched at anything he could get to. Anything that might've been the blonde man, he was determined to tear up. He felt leather ripping underneath his nails, and heard cursing and hissing as well. But in the end, he felt a blow to the head that sent him whirling…

And when he awoke, the man was gone. But Yugi and Malik were there, and they were just barely alive. But… but Sith wasn't. Ryou looked around slowly, groggily. Sith hadn't fallen, but she had been unconscious when he left her. And now he growled. If the man survived, then there was a good chance he had gone back up and taken Sith. But Ryou had no time to think about that. He heard a voice calling to him, and looked up. It was Kefka. Did that mean _he_ had helped Sith?

"Are you all right?" Kefka called, "That was a nasty fall!" Ryou blinked slowly, his mind processing what was just asked. Then, he realized he felt a little sore. That fall did a number on him. He slowly stood, and took a step. He felt stiff, but he was fine. Nothing was broken. He nodded.

"I'm all right, but my friends are unconscious," Ryou called up, and added, "By the way, is Sith up there?" Kefka took a long time to respond. Ryou had a feeling he knew why. And when the man did finally speak, he confirmed Ryou's suspicion.

"No. Some crazy, blonde man climbed up and took her," Kefka told him slowly, "Said something about taking her to Figaro… but I don't know if he's heading there." Ryou growled, shaking his head. Sith was _gone_. He narrowed his eyes, wondering just what they were supposed to do now. Sith was the only one who had any knowledge about that world. And she was on level fifty. She was their primary attack force. They had to find her. He looked up at Kefka.

"Go and get help. I'm going to see if I can get out from here," Ryou told him. Kefka nodded, and left to get help… or so, Ryou could only hope. That left Ryou alone, with two unconscious friends and a cavern full of monsters to contend with. He turned, looking down the only road he could go. And he sighed. If it got him closer to Sith, he might as well take it. He just had to wait for his friends to wake up.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Just when they reach Narshe, Ryou finds that the Esper is not only gone, but that the blonde man was waiting for him as well. And now, he doesn't even have Sith to help him anymore. With the Vector Empire under Falnika's control, it's now up to Ryou to find a way to get there, with or without his most trusted ally. But, can Kefka be relied upon? Can Yugi and Malik wake up? And, where was Sith taken to? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	9. A lovely look at Narshe's Attractions

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou jumping off cliffs. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and while they don't condone suicide, they don't stop it, either.

Ryou didn't know how long he sat in the cavern, waiting, but he was pretty sure he didn't care, either. There was something to be said for being alone, and it did give him some time to do some much needed thinking. Most of that revolved around Sith, and around what the blonde man had said. Or why he'd shown up at all. Damn it all, he just made more trouble than he was worth. Ryou frowned; all that man ever brought was pain. But was there truth to what he said? Ryou couldn't be sure. Sure, Sith had seemed concerned, almost unhappy when he proposed, but he had thought it was just nerves. But now… perhaps it wasn't. She hadn't gotten any better as the weeks dragged on. In fact, she had gotten a little worse. She didn't even speak of the wedding. And for a woman, that was just a bit odd.

"I… I'm so cold," Ryou whispered, shivering as his thoughts continued to whirl, "What does this mean? Was he… right?" Ryou's eyes narrowed. If the man was, that was pretty much admitting that Sith didn't care about Ryou. And she _did_. She _had_ to! Why else would she have even said yes to him!?

"Why would she have?" Ryou asked no one angrily, and looked up at the hole Yugi had crashed through, up into the cloudy sky, "No… no, he's wrong! What he said was a lie! Sith chose _me_! That… that's what… that's what he meant… right?"

"What did who mean?" Malik asked, and Ryou turned suddenly, not expecting anyone to have heard him, "You okay, buddy?" Ryou blushed, and looked away. He couldn't tell Malik the truth… except that Malik seemed to have guessed on his own. Ryou sighed. This was just unfair.

"That's… that man is the one who always threatens me, Malik," Ryou told him quietly, "He's got it in his head that Sith is _his_, and he's taken her somewhere. She's not even in Narshe anymore." Malik blinked slowly, half wondering if he had actually heard correctly. Sith was gone. Sith was… gone!? Now the reality crashed on him. He shook his head in disbelief. Sith _was_ gone.

"Shit, and we actually need her, too," Malik mumbled, and sighed, "Okay, any ideas where she was taken?"

"Kefka said the man told him he was taking Sith to Figaro. That's a ways away, but it's a place, at least," Ryou replied, but found Malik was unconvinced. He frowned and said, "What's wrong?" Malik snorted, shaking his head again.

"I'm not sure I'd be trusting someone who looks like a deranged clown," he replied, raising a brow, "Okay, so assuming Kefka's right and we have to get to Figaro, how're we getting her back with us? By the way you put it, whoever we're dealing with isn't sane." Ryou sighed somberly. If only Malik knew the truth. The man wasn't sane; he was absolutely, utterly psychotic. And he had grown worse with the months. Ryou remembered the time he had met him, on the old ship they had used to travel to Domino from Algon, close to a year ago. Back then, he might've been able to stop the man from his insanity. He had been relatively calm. Then… then it hit Ryou. He frowned.

"I… I don't know," Ryou suddenly replied, "Malik, he won't give her back." Malik frowned as well. There was a finality to Ryou's voice that said the boy wasn't kidding. But Sith would come back. She had to. Malik chuckled nervously.

"Why not?" he asked. Ryou looked away. He hadn't told Malik much of anything about the blonde man, but now seemed a good time as any. He was, after all, most probably an enemy now.

"Because… he's convinced she's _his_," Ryou told him, and added, "Malik, I think… I think he _loved_ her. In the past, before she came _here_, to our world." Malik whistled. That made a little more sense. Initially, he thought the man might've been a stalker, but if what Ryou said was true… then that meant Sith might _not_ come back. That was probably worse than dealing with a crazy stalker. His lips thinned.

"Are you sure?" he whispered. Ryou nodded.

"He's said he loves her, and he threatened me at gun point when he found out I proposed," Ryou told him grimly, and his eyes narrowed, "Not like Sith did anything, though." Malik frowned. That wasn't entirely fair to blame this on her. What was she supposed to do, anyway? What _could_ she do? He asked that much, and Ryou grumbled, "For starters, she could _not_ be so kind to him."

"You're being a little unfair, Ryou," Malik told him, and Ryou glared, "Listen to me for a minute. If this guy's from her past and she knows it, are you seriously going to want her to give up her past? Ryou, she wouldn't do it. She's worked too hard."

"What do you want me to do!?" Ryou yelled, his voice bouncing off the icy walls, "Malik, it's more than that! She's supposed to be marrying _ME!_ All of the sudden, you're on her side, too!?" Malik stood suddenly, looking down at Ryou with disappointment. Ryou felt the urge to look away. He had gone too far. But damn it, he had been _right_. Why was everyone making this so damn hard on him? _He_ was being faithful. _Sith_ was the one who couldn't make up her damned mind. But he saw that argument wouldn't work with Malik.

"Maybe I am, if you're going to be that possessive about it," Malik said firmly, bordering on anger, "Also, be quiet or you'll wake Yugi. The kid needs his sleep." Ryou's eyes hardened. To him, this was absolutely serious, and Malik was acting like he was just being whiny. He wanted to protest, but Malik had turned and picked Yugi up, slinging him onto his back. Then he walked down the path. To him, they were done with that conversation. There was more to this adventure than one person, after all.

The passage seemed repetitive and long, with no winding offshoot or intersection for some time. Malik had begun to doubt he had made any progress, but the fact that he was still moving told him he had to be going _somewhere_. But where that was, the cavern gave no indication. Everything looked the same; the walls were still gray sparkling with hints of frosted ice. The floors were packed with snow. And the passage ahead was still black. Everything was too similar. Except for one torch on the wall. And that caught Malik's attention. He stopped, looking at it. The fire was bright compared to the rest of the dim cavern. He squinted his eyes.

"A single torch," he said, unimpressed as he looked back at Ryou, "Think anything lives here, then?" Ryou shrugged, looking up at the screen to his world.

"Any bosses here, Riz?" he asked, and the girl looked from the screen to the guide beside her. She flipped through, but found nothing. Turning back to Ryou, she shook her head.

"Nothing that's listed _here_," she remarked, and snorted, "But who knows what Falnika put in for you. For all we know, it could be Omega Weapon." Both Malik and Ryou paled. Neither were sure just what Omega Weapon was supposed to be, but neither wanted to be around to see it, either. Malik turned ahead again, and he shuddered when he saw that now several torches were lit up. And finally, the passage turned a bit, too. That didn't mark well in his book.

"Thanks for jinxing us," he grumbled, and grunted as he lifted Yugi higher onto his back, starting forward again. Ryou followed silently behind him. As they walked down the path, the ice had begun to melt off of the walls. They must've been underneath the city by then; only the power of the furnaces above _in addition_ to the torches could've melted the ice in there.

"Think we'll get out soon?" Ryou finally asked, seeing further sign of civilization. Malik shrugged. That was a question they couldn't answer. He didn't know just how far these mines ran, and the one person who did wasn't with them.

"It'll be nice once we do. I'm getting sick of these mines," Malik replied simply, and stopped when they came to a larger chamber. This one had an old mining cart within it, on a set of rusted, half-buried tracks. The smell of charcoal was strong in here, and Malik saw crates stacked along a side wall. That worried him. Perhaps someone _did_ live here, after all.

But when he looked around, he couldn't find any evidence of life. There was no flickering shadow, and no footprints in the dirt. The few tools that had been there had long since rusted over; anyone foolish enough to use one might get infected. And the crates? All of their contents were spoiled. He found that out the hard way. But if no one was there, he shouldn't have had such a bad feeling… should he? He suddenly shivered. It felt as though someone had been watching them, and had fled when he caught sight of it. But where _was_ this invisible person!?

"Malik, what's wrong?" Riz asked him worriedly, "From here, it looks like your sprite's looking around, but you're looking for something. Is everything okay?" Malik silently cursed. For once, he wanted someone in their own world to confirm that he wasn't going completely mad. But maybe Riz _had_ seen something. He looked up at the screen.

"Riz, did you see any other sprites run off the screen?" he asked her, "This cave's dark, but you might have seen something we didn't." Unfortunately, Riz hadn't seen a thing. She shook her head.

"Haven't seen anything other than you two," she replied. Malik left it at that, and beckoned Ryou to follow him. The two left the chamber from that point in search of another route to the outside. And as they left, something in the far back corner flashed red. A man stepped out, lifting his goggles off his face and frowning. Someone _had_ been watching them. And this someone began to follow them again, too.

---

As Riz worked on the game, hopeful to be bringing back Ryou and his friends, Rex Raptor wandered the streets of Domino City. He had agreed to do a small side job for Yaten, but that was mostly out of worry that the man would do something completely irrational and crazy that would get Rex fired from his job, with which he was already on thin ice for failure to report any findings from his last mission. So far, he hadn't found much of anything, even as he interrogated Joey, Tea, Tristan, and even Kaiba for further inquiry. To his surprise, only Kaiba seemed to be of some assistance, as he offered ideas, though cold-hearted as they were, to the would-be detective. And now, he sat in an alley, for peace and quiet was what he needed, and absolutely no one with a sane mind would be in an alley. His only company was Sith's dog, Rush. And even that was a freak accident; the dog had escaped Ryou's house to piss in the yard, and somehow managed to run into Rex on the way. And out of complete reluctance, he followed the detective.

"Okay, what I've gleamed from his friends are this: None of them have seen Ryou, all of them know he's prone to running away from his father, and Kaiba's ability to illegally obtain phone records reveals that his last two calls were made to Yugi Mutou and Malik Ishtar," Rex relayed to Rush, who simply barked at him flatly, "This sounds pretty suspicious to me… Why would he call those two, and for what purpose?" Rush barked again, obviously uninterested in anything Rex had to say to him, for he _was_ just a dog. Ignoring the barks, Rex took out a notebook and flipped it open.

"From what Mr. Bakura said, Ryou's been gone for nearly six hours at this point," Rex said, again to Rush, "What the hell could he be doing that requires him to be missing for so long? According to Malik's sister, Malik's been gone for some time, too… As has Yugi. Now, if I were them, what would I do to eliminate so much time in one day!?" Rex's eye twitched as he tried to ponder the thought. Finally, he snapped his fingers and stood up so suddenly that Rush let out a yelp of surprise, and then a growl of displeasure.

"I've got it! Finally, it's all so clear to me! They're obviously _DUELING!_" Rex exclaimed, picking up Rush's leash, "But now we need to find them! I should probably think about phoning Mr. Bakura… oh, screw that. I'm on a mission! Chalk another up for Rex Raptor!" With that, Rex ran out of the alley and down the street with Rush, who yelped and barked, and howled with annoyance. If anything, he seemed to be trying to find Sith to set Rex aflame, but if only he knew what had become of his master.

---

Bakura wished to all hell that Katt hadn't run off like she just had. His day was already bad enough. And yet, she somehow made it worse. And not _just_ for running away. No, there was something to her that alerted Bakura to something he had overlooked before. Something that he knew might very well have prevented this from happening. At least, it might have helped lessen the severe damages Domino had taken in the past. But screw Domino City. Right now, he was forced to run all over the city trying to track the Esper down. And he prayed Katt would be smart and just appear. He was certain that if she didn't, he'd strangle her when she did.

Finally, he skidded to a stop. His lungs felt ready to burst.

"Why the hell… did she run!?" he demanded for the fifth time that evening. Yami and Ishtar both caught up to him, both just as tired as he. He looked back at them and frowned.

"More importantly, why are _we_ chasing her?" Ishtar retorted just as grumpily, and shook his head, "Damn it, even I'm too fucking old for this shit."

"She knows something," Bakura told them both grimly, straightening and crossing his arms, "Katt knows something about this Mystic, and she hasn't told Sith yet. I'm guessing she's going to run and either hide or find Sith herself, but whatever one it is, she'd better hope Sith can protect her. I certainly don't want to, not right now."

"Wait…" Ishtar straightened as well, Bakura's words sobering him, "Are you saying Katt knows what this Mystic wants!?"

"My guess is it's more than that," Bakura replied, and looked down, "Katt's been hiding stuff from Sith, and I always let it slide, but not this. This is actually bad; Sith's _in another world_ and she's without her magic. The Mystics can finally kill her." That was enough to convince Ishtar. He exchanged a worried glance with Yami, and all three spirits seemed to understand what this meant. Sith was _older_ than all of them. If she died… who knew what that might actually do. At the very least, it'd doom Domino to being thrown into the control of an evil race. And they all knew _only_ Sith had the ability to put up resistance to that.

"Why would Katt hide anything from Sith?" Yami asked Bakura, when considerable silence had passed between them. Bakura frowned. There was only one reason, only one reason at all.

"Because she knows what happened to erase all of Sith's memory," Bakura told them both, and his voice sounded grave, "And if Sith found out, all hell would break loose again. The war she fought so long ago, that she only vaguely remembers, would start again. And this time, she might lose." Yami blinked profusely, and both he and Bakura exchanged terrified glances now. Ishtar, unfortunately, was supremely confused. Just what was Bakura getting at?

"Bakura… you think she…" Yami began, and Bakura nodded gravely.

"She is," was the solemn reply. That was enough. Ishtar watched as both older spirits tore down the street now, after Katt once again. He had no idea what the hell just happened, but obviously, something had. And he knew he'd find out soon enough. With a shrug, he followed them.

---

If ever there was a time Malik had prayed for Sith to miraculously appear from out of nowhere, this was that time. He had, in all honesty, no idea what led to their new near-death predicament, and quite frankly, he didn't care. All he remembered was walking into a particularly grungy-looking room, and then hearing an inhuman roar of fury before he felt what he was sure had been an earthquake. That was when they met the inhabitant of the abandoned mines. And subsequently, that was when they learned just why the mines had been abandoned; yetis were rare, but fatal if ever encountered. How utterly ironic that Sith wasn't there to slay this one.

"What the hell!?" he screamed, as they tore down the passages, turning, zigzagging, doing whatever they could just to avoid the hulking beast that was chasing them. But it wasn't helping. The cave had taken a wind-around back toward the snow fields, and snow once again proved to be a terrible foe. They slid more than ran, and the yeti was more than able to walk on the ice.

"Looks like Riz was right, after all," Ryou said between bursts of air, "Falnika had to have summoned it!" Except that Riz knew she hadn't. She had looked at the guide and found that indeed, a yeti did live there. He just wasn't supposed to _show up_ right then. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting out alive.

Around the next turn, that happened. Not because the yeti had been slowed, but because Malik managed to actually fall into a hole in the ground, and being so close behind him, Ryou followed. Yugi fell only because he was on Malik's back. The three crashed unhappily to the ground far below, and the yeti passed by without notice.

"Shit!" Malik cursed angrily, getting up and rolling Yugi onto his back to make sure the small boy hadn't been seriously injured. They both had minor scrapes, but they'd live. Looking around, all Malik could see was darkness. "…where are we?"

"Looks like the lower levels of the mine," Ryou said, standing up and looking toward the right, "But are we even close to an exit?" Malik frowned. That seemed too unlikely, and even if they were, he was sure there would be another lovely monster waiting for them. He snorted, crossing his arms.

"That'd be way too easy," he replied, and without looking up he asked, "Riz, what in Ra was that thing?"

"It was a yeti named Umaro," she replied, looking at the guide beside her and glancing up at the television screen, "But he's not supposed to appear until near the end of the game. Glitch?" Ryou would've laughed, except that it just wasn't funny. They were nearly killed again.

"Not surprising," Malik grumbled irritably, and looked at Ryou, "What do you think? Should we try and fight it?" Ryou's brow rose, giving him an incredulous look. Was Malik actually serious? Did he even think they'd win? Ryou shook his head. The answers should have been obvious. Obviously, Malik wanted to die.

"Without Sith? I think we'd be better off getting back to Narshe than going any farther," Ryou replied, and frowned, "But the question is, where do we go to get there?"

"How about the one damn path we're _on_?" Malik asked unhelpfully, and Ryou glared at him. Now wasn't the time for sarcasm. But he did hold a point, and reluctantly, Ryou followed it. It was straightforward; there were no intersections, and while the path did bend and twist, it didn't branch off. But it did stretch on for some time. Like the path had before.

Moments later, they had come to another large shaft. Cool air poured from a shaft leading down into another deeper level, and a faint smell of sulfur filtered through as well. Malik looked around carefully. There was no way he'd let them get ambushed again; thankfully, the room was empty of people. But he did spot something of even more interest. It was a large mining cart, and it looked, in the darkness, relatively new. He grinned and beckoned for Ryou to come as he set Yugi down carefully.

"Think we could ride this?" he asked when Ryou caught up, and Ryou gave the cart a good look. To be honest, it looked rusted over, and chances are it _was_, too. He shook his head.

"If we wanted to crash, we could," Ryou reasoned, and Malik laughed, "I bet even I could dismantle this thing with a kick." Malik didn't disagree, and when he lit a match and held it, he saw Ryou was right. He also saw that Yugi was moving a bit, and he bent closer to see. The younger boy opened his eyes groggily, and yawned.

"Pancakes?" he asked, and Ryou guessed the blonde man hit him harder than he thought. Malik just laughed again, patting Yugi on the back.

"You missed some serious action, buddy," he told the boy, and Yugi blinked quizzically, "Oh, we were attacked by a crazy person, we fell off a cliff, and just now we were attacked by a yeti. It was just awesome!" Yugi yawned again, not quite processing what was just said. He looked around with tired eyes, and saw nothing but darkness, just as Malik had. If only he knew where they were…

"Where's Sith?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't in the room with them, nor did he hear her footsteps. Ryou grew silent at that, and Malik's skin paled. Yugi hadn't heard any of what Ryou said. Nor had he been conscious to see what happened to Sith. Malik risked a glance at Ryou. The young man looked ill.

"She's… gone," Malik simply said, and when Yugi stood up with wide eyes, he added, "She'll be okay. We're going to head to Figaro and she'll meet us there. You up for it?" That seemed to calm Yugi down a bit, and he nodded, yawning once again.

"Yeah, sure," the boy replied, none too serious about his answer until he stretched his muscles. They were a little stiff from being unconscious in the cold. He looked at Malik seriously and said, "So… what is this about a sasquatch? Did I hear right?" Malik just nodded, and as they went through the mine shaft toward the lower level, he proceeded to explain what happened. Yugi listened with wide eyes; it was hard to believe they actually managed to _escape_ from a beast like that let alone live to tell of it. But they had. He just whistled.

"It's just too bad no one else was here to see it!" he exclaimed, and laughed, "Like anyone would've thought it was real, though."

"I believed it," Riz told them flatly, and Yugi just looked up at her through the screen. She looked vaguely annoyed that they didn't consider her to be someone. Yugi just shrugged, continuing on.

The shaft ended up being short. Ryou found he was glad for that. He was beginning to hate feeling cramped in the mines below the city, and liked the thought of seeing sunlight. After following the spindly, but short passage, they emerged onto a small snow bank just level with the rooftops of the lower section of Narshe. It was conveniently close to the entrance gates; escape would be easy. Malik took his look first. If there were guards, he was the best suited to beat them in one shot. Luckily, no guard was in sight for now; it was close to midnight in that world.

"Let's go," he whispered, and leapt off the bank, onto the closest roof. Yugi climbed down with Ryou, and the three of them padded off and made another leap to a lower roof. From there, they slid to the ground, landing with only a soft thud; the snow muffled a lot of their noise.

"It's too quiet," Yugi commented, but even in a whisper, his voice seemed loud in the silence. Ryou had to agree. For a city under Imperial control, there should have been more security. Sith had been pretty clear they'd be ambushed when they first entered. Then he remembered that Kefka had come through as well. As a general, he might have moved the troops in the city.

"Perhaps no one's here?" Ryou offered, as they moved at a snail's pace through the snow, keeping to the shadows as they came close to the square. The only noise came from the steam engines powering the houses and shops. Malik's eyes narrowed. He just couldn't trust the peace.

"Why would an entire city full of guards just _vanish?_" he asked Ryou incredulously. Ryou shrugged. It didn't matter what the reason was. For now, it meant an easy escape, and he said as much. But Malik shook his head and said, "Sith would probably tell us it's a trap. I know I'm pretty suspicious."

"But nothing's here," Yugi told him adamantly, brows creased with frustration as they continued to wait, "Malik, we need to go now! What about Sith?" Malik and Ryou both exchanged glances, knowing that Yugi held a point more valuable than he knew. They still had to find her.

"Damn it," Malik growled, shaking his head, "Yugi's right, Ryou. We have to leave and get Sith."

"But what about Kefka?" Ryou reminded him, and Malik's frown grew worse, "I know you don't trust him, but he might have found something. He's on our side now." Malik wasn't convinced. His look went just a little flat as he regarded Ryou.

"Until there's a reason to double-cross us," he pointed out, and Ryou found his point valid. Right now, it was in Kefka's benefit to help them. But if Sith wasn't there… Ryou shook his head. No, if Kefka meant to double-cross them because of Sith, he'd have done it beforehand. There was another reason he was helping. He had to have known something.

"We're waiting for him," Ryou said sternly, and Malik's mouth dropped. To him, he made it clear that Sith had to be found. Ryou _should_ have thought she was more important than that. Malik just narrowed his eyes as he watched Ryou. He didn't seem too worried at all. Then, he turned away.

"Whatever," he grumbled, crossing his arms. They stayed in the shadows and waited; they hadn't need to wait long. Kefka was already coming toward them, and judging by _his_ careful movements, he was also just as worried at being caught. He caught up with them a moment later, and before speaking, he checked to make sure he hadn't been followed. The way was clear.

"Hey, kids. Nice to see you got out of the mines," he whispered grimly, and then beckoned them to follow him. As they ran across the square, he continued, "I used my influence and talked to the mayor here. That man you're looking for? He stopped at the mayor's for a moment." Ryou's eyes widened, and before Malik could stop him, he grabbed Kefka's arm and turned the man to face him.

"What!?" he exclaimed, his voice higher than necessary, "Was… was Sith with him!? Are they still there!?" Unfortunately, Kefka shook his head.

"No, the man left. He stopped to ask about this Mystic of yours, though," Kefka replied, almost amused, "Seems she's back in Vector for the time being." Ryou didn't particularly care about getting to Vector, though. But Malik knew where this would lead; Ryou would go after the blonde man and then all hell would break loose. As the team leader, Malik knew he had to stop that. He couldn't let Ryou get killed. So, before Ryou could speak, he stepped forward.

"So where do we head, then?" he asked quizzically. Kefka's smile grew a bit. He looked smug. Malik did _not_ trust that.

"Ironically, we should head to Figaro castle," the man told them, and both Malik and Ryou stared critically, "Listen, listen. There's a mechanism in the castle that will allow us to travel directly to Tzen, which is on the Vectorian continent. You'll be able to track this Mystic down, _and_ find this psycho of yours in one shot. I think you should take it." That sounded like a way to get killed to Malik. His eyes hardened. And he realized he began to think like Sith: he didn't trust Kefka, no matter what his offer was.

"I don't trust you!" he said violently, as Yugi said, "We don't just trust bad goys, you know!" Kefka just laughed. To him, that was the stupidest comment he'd ever heard. Bad guys? To hell with that; there were no villains anymore. Not with that world crumbling as it was. He shook his head, his smile unfaltering. He looked just a bit too crazy for their comfort.

"Well, if you really wanted, I could just kill you," he told them smoothly, and his grin went feral, "Without Sith Winchester, you don't stand a chance, and you know it. Shouldn't that be incentive enough?" Any hopes Malik had of killing Kefka vanished. Damn it! He'd forgotten that the only reason Kefka hadn't harmed them was because Sith had been there. Sith and her unending legacy through the realms throughout Oblivion. Malik almost audibly cursed. What a time to lose her. He turned to Ryou.

"We don't have a choice. We have to follow him," he said grimly, "Ryou, I'm worried." Ryou nodded in agreement.

"Me too. But we need Sith, and she's in Figaro," Ryou replied, and whispered, "If we find her quickly, Kefka won't be able to hurt us. There's no risk here." Malik wanted to point out that Kefka could easily kill them in the fields and hide their corpses, but he didn't. It wouldn't have helped. All it'd have done was give Sith a reason to fight back and utterly dismantle this realm when she did find out. He snorted. Maybe there _was_ no danger in that respect.

"Let's go, then," Malik sighed, and turned to Kefka, giving him the okay. Kefka nodded and led them out toward the edge of the city; they were surprised to see that even there, no guard had been posted. It felt awfully suspicious, and even with Kefka's help, Malik's feeling of distrust wasn't lessening. In fact, it seemed to grow. Damn it, Sith had rubbed off on him more than he wanted to admit. Not that it was a bad thing, but _she_ was the one who had that pessimistic attitude, not him. He shook his head. What did it matter? Someone had to lead them, and Ryou didn't seem up for the task.

"Damn it, you old woman… what a time to go and leave me stuck here," he grumbled, and then simply shrugged it off. Blaming Sith could wait for now; he had to survive living with the antagonist of the game for a few hours first, and he was sure that wouldn't be an easy task. At least, not as easy as just killing him. And he knew even that would be hard. What a time for Sith to be gone, indeed.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After narrowly escaping Narshe's mines with their lives intact, Ryou and his team finds that, not only is Sith missing, but now they're forced into a truce with Kefka, the evil lord of the Vectorian Empire, known throughout for producing destructive weaponry. But does Kefka know what became of Sith and the blonde man? Will he lead our heroes to Figaro? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	10. Ryou is a Dumbass

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou working for the dark side. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care as long as Kefka lives.

The traveling through the fields seemed too easy as they left Narshe's gates, into the wilderness beyond. None had been there to oppose them, and though Yugi didn't seem bothered by that, the further they went from Narshe, the more it grated on Malik's nerves. Where _had_ all the guards gone? He highly doubted Kefka had done anything; the man seemed as nervous as they had been. But something had happened. The city had been under Imperial control beforehand. Now, it was as if no one existed, as if they all hid in their homes. What had scared them so? Was it the Esper, or was it the blonde man? Both seemed equally as right in Malik's mind.

Just as he thought this, another worry came to him. How did Kefka see what happened to Sith at all? How did he even know her? Only Mystics seemed to know who she was. Malik halted, and narrowed his eyes. Something didn't fit.

"How did you know Sith?" he asked suspiciously, and everyone stopped this time, turning to him, "She's never been in this world. How did you know who she was?" Kefka blinked for a slow moment, and then he frowned as if that were common knowledge. To the entirety of Oblivion, it sort of was.

"Everyone in Oblivion knows her, boy," the older man replied seriously, "She's known as _the one who did it_, who seared the Esper race in two." He noticed that the others seemed particularly concerned now, and asked, "You don't know who she is!?"

"She doesn't remember!" Ryou cried, eyes widened, "Are you saying _everyone_ knows her!?" Kefka nodded, and looked down.

"Anyone who knows Oblivion knows who she is," he replied grimly, and let out a sigh, "Well, apparently not _everyone_, but she does have a legend, that friend of yours. I'm surprised she travels with humans, though. From my understanding, Espers don't like humans much at all." Ryou snorted. That had been clear when he was _in_ Oblivion's void. But… Sith was that well known? How could she not know why? Why hadn't she questioned it? That worried Ryou. She was more inquisitive than that.

"What do you know about her?" he asked suddenly, and Kefka looked squarely at him, "If everyone knows who she is, someone somewhere must know what she was like. Tell us." Kefka bit his lip. He never said he _knew_ Sith, he just knew _of_ her. There was a difference. But he shrugged. He had some level of knowledge, simply because she was an Esper herself.

"All I know was that she was involved in a war that threatened multiple parts of Oblivion at once, and nearly caused the balance between magic and mundane to capsize, which would've ripped apart the fabrics of space and time," Kefka explained casually, "She did come here once, about twenty two years ago. She was with two people." Ryou and Malik exchanged looks. By their world's time, that should've made her one or two years old when she came _here_. It must've been just before she came to their world.

"Who was she with?" Ryou asked, and Malik said, "Why the hell would she come _here_?" Kefka laughed hysterically, and shrugged as if he had no idea. Which he probably didn't.

"Perhaps she wanted to purchase some weapons? How should I know?" Kefka laughed, shaking his head. Then he sobered up and said, "As to her companions, one was a time keeper; a young brat of around twenty-four who obsessed over clocks and gears. The other was a normal human." Ryou's eyes narrowed. A normal human…

"Was he blonde? With a scar on the left side of his face and one good eye?" Ryou asked. But surprisingly, Kefka shook his head.

"No. His face was unmarked, and undoubtedly handsome. But he was blonde," Kefka replied, raising a brow, "Wore a lot of leather, though, and insisted on whipping out a gun at the slightest provocation. Didn't seem entirely sane to me." That confirmed Ryou's suspicions. She _had_ traveled with the blonde man before; he guessed the other man had been Aeon. But then… the blonde man should've been in his forties! He looked no older than Sith did. He _couldn't_ have been human… could he?

"What were their names?" Ryou asked, and Malik gave him a warning glare. That was something that only Sith should've known, and if she knew Ryou found out, Malik didn't even want to think what she'd do. At the very least, she'd probably hit him. But Ryou felt no danger, didn't even consider Sith a threat. He was an idiot sometimes. And Kefka was even worse for answering him.

"I do remember that part," he said, "The time keeper was named Aeon. And the young man was named Mello, I think." Ryou blinked profusely now. Mello? That was an actual name? It sounded very, very ridiculous to him, but then again, Sith and Aeon weren't common names, either. But he'd remember that name. Mello…

"Mello's got to be the one who kidnapped Sith," Ryou concluded, looking at Malik, "If he's been her companion before…"

"Ryou, don't jump to conclusions," Malik warned again, frowning with disapproval, "Are you _absolutely_ sure he's the one? What if Sith wasn't kidnapped?"

"Are you telling me she _willingly_ left us here!?" Ryou demanded, and for once his anger boiled over, "That's ridiculous, Malik! She's never do it! I know it's him! He's _obsessed_ with her!" Malik backed away, and his brows creased with frustration. He didn't know the whole story; he didn't want to just hate Mello or disapprove of Sith's actions because of what Ryou said. There were two parts to this story, and he wanted to hear both. He shook his head.

"I find it hard to believe _only_ he is obsessed," Malik said pointedly, as a door in their world opened behind the view of the screen. He saw that the three spirits were walking inside, one carrying Yaten. Noting that, he continued on with, "Whatever the hell you have with this guy, let it go before it gets _all_ of us killed, okay?" Ryou's fury went skyrocketing with that. Let it go!? Malik was basically telling him to _give Sith up_ to a _madman!_ He couldn't do it! He just couldn't!

"We miss anything?" Ishtar asked, hearing the harshness in Malik's words. Ryou didn't appear to notice they had walked into his house.

"I will _not_ let this go!" Ryou exclaimed furiously, fists clenched and shoulders tensed up. Bakura and Yami exchanged confused looks, even as Ishtar asked what happened again. But he was ignored; even Malik seemed too into the conversation to pay him heed.

"Then Sith might just hate you," Malik growled angrily, eyes narrowing, "Ryou, you have no idea what it's like to lose your memories. If Sith gains them, she won't choose you, and you know it." Ryou finally lost it. He lunged, knocking Malik to the ground and slashing him across the face. But Malik was far stronger. He kicked Ryou off, and the younger man went flying, slamming into the dirt ten feet away. Malik stood, dusted himself, and said, "Don't make me an enemy, Ryou."

"_What_ the goddamn hell is going on!?" Ishtar finally yelled, and this time he wasn't ignored. Yugi turned up toward the screen, frowning slightly as he saw just how baffled all three spirits and Riz had become. He himself was still confused over it all. Just what was Malik saying?

"Well… first off, we went through the Lete River and fought a giant squid," Yugi began nervously, "And then we ended up in Narshe, and we were separated from Sith… but now… Malik and Ryou keep arguing over something about her, and it's going way out of proportion. I think whoever took Sith knew her way back when, before she ever came here. But the problem is, she doesn't remember him at all." Again, the three spirits exchanged confused glances. Then, slowly, Bakura nodded. He turned to Yami.

"I knew this would happen," he said sternly, "Whatever happened to Sith during the 3,000 years since the war of the Espers, it's coming back and it's taking her with it." He turned to Yugi and asked, "Where is she now?"

"We don't know. Kefka said that he saw them head to Figaro," the young boy replied, "We're heading there, and once we get her, we're going to Vector. If Falnika's still here, she'd be there, and we're going to kill her as soon as possible and get out before we get killed." Bakura nodded, but that wasn't enough to relieve his worry. The simple fact that Sith even left them told him something wasn't quite right. He turned back to Yami and Ishtar, and whispered so only the other two spirits could hear him. Whatever was wrong, he sounded grave indeed.

"Hopefully, something will come of this, but now I'm worried," he whispered, and Yami agreed, "If Sith knows who she's with, then there's no doubt he may tell her more of what she's forgotten. If Ryou stops that, _she_ might be what kills him."

"Would she really?" Ishtar asked, glancing at the screen, and at Ryou's sprite. Bakura shrugged; he couldn't be too sure. But Sith did have a temper, and if she dared to drink at all, Ryou would _definitely_ die soon.

"Best we can do is sit back and watch what happens," the old thief replied grimly, crossing his arms, "We still have Kefka to contend with." That part, he said loudly enough for everyone else to hear. Riz just snorted, and Malik shook his head. Technically, it was _his_ decision to trust Kefka. If they were double-crossed, it'd be on his shoulders. Kefka, ultimately, took offense at Bakura's accusation, and his brows creased in insult.

"You act like I'm some mass murdering freak!" he exclaimed, throwing up his arms. And when Bakura rose a brow, he sighed and said, "Okay, I _am_, but I'm not an idiot! I won't kill these guys! At least, not until this damned desert does, so let's just move!" He started off before he even finished, and Malik couldn't help but snort and shake his head. If _that_ was their worst opponent, it wasn't much wonder Sith hadn't been too scared of him. He seemed more prone to _being an ass_ than he was of actually harming them. Then again, they hadn't seen him in battle yet. For all they knew, he was the uber-mage squared.

"You don't think he'd actually _kill_ us… do you?" Yugi whispered nervously as they followed the angry lord across the sandy desert. Luckily, sandstorm season wasn't up, so all that really got in their way was a giant dune or two. Malik laughed. As Kefka said, the desert probably had a better chance of killing them than he did; the sun was way too warm.

"If he tries anything, I'll Bum Rush his head into the sand," Malik promised, grinning, "Then I'll leave a note to Sith: Feel Free to Stab. Just to make sure he _stays_ dead." Ryou laughed as well. That was a note Sith would like, especially if Zealacht was in her hands.

The desert seemed shorter than it had been when they first entered, before gaining Sith in their team. Ryou chalked that up to Falnika's influence again, but didn't bring it up unless Malik actually noticed. The less they spoke of Falnika, the calmer Ryou felt himself become. But when they came upon Figaro Castle, the remembrance came stronger than ever. The castle didn't look too good from when they had left. For one thing, there were scant few guards in the place at all. Only one was standing at the gates, watching for trouble. And with a kingdom as grand as Figaro, that was poor security. He watched Ryou approach nervously, and after looking the entire group over, he nodded to Kefka.

"Take them in," he said, and Kefka grinned, leading the way through the entrance hall. Ryou looked around, and saw that indeed, there was no security inside, either. But something else bothered him now. Why was that? Kefka had spoken of an army. He bit his lip. This sounded like trouble.

"Where is Sith?" he demanded at once, and everyone stopped. Kefka just smiled a little more and opened the door into the throne room. But Ryou shook his head. This felt _wrong_. "_Where is Sith!?_"

"She's perfectly fine," Kefka said gently, "Now come on." But Ryou wasn't convinced, and neither was Malik. He saw the flicker of a gun in the next room, and when Yugi moved, the gun went off. Yugi ducked; the bullet missed and slammed into the wall behind him. But that was enough. Malik moved in, took the gun, and smashed it before the guard could reload. Then, he slammed the first piece into the guard's head, taking the next one out with a rebounding blow.

"We've been tricked!" he yelled to Ryou, "Get out and find Sith!"

"You lied to us!" Ryou said in disbelief, and Kefka laughed. Yugi finally drew his sword, aiming it at Kefka's stomach.

"You told us you'd help us! Why!?" Yugi demanded, but Kefka's laugh worsened. To him, that was a stupid question to ask. It almost didn't even deserve an answer. But since they were about to die anyway, he'd humor them.

"Because you're stupid enough to actually trust an evil lord like me," he mocked, and laughed again, "That was by far the _easiest_ ambush I've ever executed! It was nearly flawless!" But when his head was suddenly slammed into the wall, sending him to seeing stars, he realized his plan was going to fall apart. And the next few words proved it.

"And here's flaw number one: _I'm right here_," Sith growled, slamming Kefka's head into the wall again, "Here's number two: _you've pissed me off_." Again, another slam. Ryou winced. A normal human skull should've cracked open by now, his brain smearing across the wall. But Kefka might not have been human; Sith certainly wasn't. She snarled and said, "Now let them go."

"And what… if I refuse!?" he coughed, his head spinning and ringing from the blows he just received. Sith grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. Her eyes were blazing with fury. Ryou didn't need her to remove her glasses to know they were red.

"Wrong answer, jackass," she spat, and threw him into the wall this time. Kefka screamed, blowing through it and landing in the next room, spraying stone and dust in his wake. Malik could barely believe it. Such a display of strength! Just how long was Sith there?!

"Sith!" Yugi exclaimed, and ran over to her, "Sith, we've been worried sick! Are you all right!? Were you hurt!? Where is he!?" Sith chuckled, and gave Yugi a firm pat on the back.

"I'm fine. As you can see, I was waiting for him to bring you here," she replied calmly, frowning when Ryou walked over, "I knew as soon as he approached us that he'd double-cross you. I'm just glad I was here."

"About that…" Ryou began slowly, and shifted his feet a bit as he looked down, "How _did_ you get here?" Sith tilted her head, wondering why Ryou seemed so hesitant to know. Rightfully, he should've been glad to know she was even alive. She knew _she_ was glad he was okay. What was wrong?

"The blonde man took me here," she explained with a raised brow, "When I woke up, I was in the infirmary in the east wing. He told me that I'd be safe if I stayed here, and then he said Kefka was going to bring you all here. I decided to stay and wait until he came; as you can see, I made the right choice." Malik laughed. That was an understatement. Sith very well may have just saved their asses. But Ryou didn't look too pleased. He glanced around the room. No one else was there anymore. The guards fled long before Sith's disposal of their master.

"So where's Mello now!?" he demanded, and this time Sith's eyes widened.

"W-what!?" she asked, as Bakura screamed, "_Ryou!!_" But Ryou didn't listen to Bakura. His eyes narrowed as he studied Sith. Now she looked scared.

"You know. The blonde man? The man who kidnapped you? The man you won't let die!?" Ryou asked, and advanced, "_Your past LOVER!?_" Sith backed away, shaking her head in disbelief. Her eyes watered; she didn't know whether it was in terror or sorrow. And she didn't care. Ryou was beyond furious with her, and for once, she had a feeling she might not calm him down.

"Ryou, what are you talking about!?" she asked him, and it was clear she had no idea what he was saying. But Ryou didn't listen to that. At this point, knowing that Mello had told her what would happen was enough for her to know all about him, in Ryou's mind.

"Don't act as though you have no idea!" Ryou yelled, "He's always around, Sith! He knows your know, he knows where we live, and he knows _you!_ That's why you're so unhappy! You don't care about _me_ or our wedding! You're in love with _him!_" Malik saw that Sith was on the verge of a terror attack. Ryou was actually frightening her. She shook her head violently.

"Ryou, I…"

"_YOU LOVE HIM AND YOU'RE USING ME TO HIDE IT!_" Ryou finally screamed, "_THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SO DAMNED UNHAPPY OVER THE WEDDING! BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT MARRYING HIM!_" He took several deep breaths now, his voice growing raw from yelling so viciously. But he glared at Sith. And he said, "Why don't you just admit it and destroy us already!?"

"Ryou, that's _enough!_" Malik snapped, and stepped between him and Sith, "Back off _now_."

"But…" Ryou looked from Malik to Sith. And he realized now that he had gone way too far. Sith had turned white, and she was shaking mercilessly. For once, she looked thin and frail, as though her age finally caught up to her. She slumped to the floor; but when Ryou tried to help her, she pushed him away. And when she finally looked up at him, her glasses fell off and her eyes were red, wide, and eerily empty. He staggered back. He had _never_ seen _this_ expression before.

"Sith, I… I'm sorry…"

"I will not be joining you," she said, first to Ryou, and then to all of them, "Get out. Now."

"S-Sith!?" Yugi cried, as Malik said, "Sith… please…"

"Vector is across the ocean from here," she told them all, getting up and starting toward the door, "There is a man in the basement who can get the mechanism for this castle running. Talk to him, and get this castle across the ocean to Kohligen. Then, get out of this castle and never come back." She threw open the double doors leading back into the entrance hall, and gestured for them to leave. There was nothing dramatic or extravagant to her motion; she pointed toward the stairs leading into the basement, and her mouth hardened into a grimace. Malik nodded, and walked through. Before passing her, he looked at her once more.

"Sith… I'm so sorry this happened. I had no idea… he'd do this," Malik said sincerely. Sith shook again. She wanted to believe Malik. Hell, she _did_ believe him. But she shook her head. She didn't deserve what just happened.

"Falnika knows nothing of this device. You'll be relatively safe from harm," she told him as if he hadn't spoken at all, "Get to Vector. I'll bring the blo… I'll bring Mello with me, and we'll kill her there." Malik couldn't nod or even look at her. For once, he was fully on her side now. Yugi walked by and looked up at her as well. She did not look like the hearty, wiseass woman he had known. She looked hardened, haggard.

"We'll never see you again, will we?" he asked her. Her body stiffened. And she glared pointedly at Ryou.

"It would depend on if I still wish to marry him," Sith told Yugi bluntly, "Right now, I do not." Yugi sighed. She wasn't likely to change her mind, and he couldn't really blame her. Ryou flew off the handle, and she took all of it. And she _didn't fight back_. A normal person would've hit Ryou, might've even broken his nose. He was lucky Sith wasn't entirely normal. Yugi walked away.

"Sith…" Malik began, but knew that there was no point in trying to convince her to stay. Ryou had said way too much that hurt her as it was. He took a deep breath and said, "Come on, Ryou. Let's go." Ryou nodded, and risked a glance at Sith as he passed. She didn't even appear to see him right then. He walked away, knowing he had made a very serious mistake. When he had passed the doorway, he heard it slam behind him, and knew Sith had locked them all out; there was no heading back to reason with her. And as soon as Malik heard, he spun and faced Ryou directly as Yugi went down the staircase.

"What the hell were you thinking back there, Ryou!?" Malik demanded at once, not even bothering to be gentle, "Her _past lover_. Did you have to bring that up? Did you even think? …no, of course you didn't. Don't even bother trying to answer that one. I hope to hell you understood what you just did. Without Sith, we're as good as dead." Ryou grumbled as he stared at Malik. He didn't particularly want to deal with that, but when he said that, Malik snorted and said, "I didn't want to deal with Sith leaving us and you forced us there anyway."

"What did you want me to do!?" Ryou cried, "She's my fiancée!"

"She _was_," Malik corrected sternly, and his face went gaunt, "She sure isn't going to marry you _now_." Ryou's mouth dropped open. He wanted to argue, to say she was being stubborn as usual. But he knew he was alone in this battle. He didn't know _why_ he was alone, but it was clear everyone sided with Sith. He hated that. _She_ practically cheated on him. But Malik didn't give him time to argue. He passed by and glanced back only momentarily.

"Sith said Tzen is close to Vector. With any luck, we can catch a boat in Kohligen, or we'll end up right near the city," Malik said grimly, "I don't know what we'll do once we get there, but we're getting there and you're not going to hold us back, Ryou. Now let's move." Then he also went down the stairs. He didn't wait for Ryou to follow him.

The passage was dim, with only a few torches to give off some light. But the basement was small. Or so it looked. But Malik couldn't see very far ahead, and he certainly didn't see Yugi there. He stopped suddenly, and looked up. Everyone was watching silently, either too shaken to speak or too worried to guide him. He frowned. Damn it, Ryou really messed the team up. He said, "Any ideas, people?"

"If you're asking about what to do when you reach Tzen, I'd say upgrading your armor," Yami suggested quietly, and frowned, "If Sith won't be coming back, you'll need every defense point you can buy." Malik nodded, and his eyes narrowed as he looked away. He severely wished Sith had come; he never thought he'd actually miss having her around. But seeing such hatred… he was sure she meant what she said. He sighed.

"Falnika's definitely going to be in Vector as of right now," Malik pointed out, "We need everything we can get. I wish Sith would change her mind, but I'll need to just accept she won't. Ryou did a very stupid thing, and I'll have to improvise.

"The main problem is, we're so low-level," Malik continued, his lips thinning, "We'll need potions, and tinctures, and all sorts of augmenting items just to stand a chance…" As he talked, he walked down the stairs, and he only assumed someone was making a mental note of what he was saying. Lost in the thought of becoming the leader, he no longer seemed to care if anyone else took him relatively seriously; he had to fill Sith's role now. Unfortunately, he was so lost in thought that he slammed into someone. Upon looking up, he saw it was an old man, dressed in a blue engineer's suit. The man stared down at Malik.

"You heading to Tzen, kiddo?" he asked, puffing on a cigarette. Malik nodded as Ryou came down finally. The old man grunted, and then turned and threw up a lever as Yugi came into view; he had been looking down the next staircase leading to a closed door. But then someone else showed up, and Malik turned around. And his eyes bulged. Sith was there. She looked blank, though, as she came down the steps.

"Sith?" Malik called, and she looked at him slowly. Had she changed her mind? He couldn't tell. She seemed completely lost as of then. But then her expressions returned. Her lips tightened and her eyes hardened a little. She looked away.

"…I came only to see you three off," she said coldly, and turned away quickly. Malik frowned, but said nothing more. Then, the foundation of the castle shook, sending everyone staggering forward. Malik fell, and Ryou tumbled over, grabbing Sith's arm to steady himself. She promptly shook herself free, and looked down the staircase toward a locked door. Something was wrong.

"Why aren't we moving?" Malik asked her, as he stood up.

"If we are, it's a damn short ride," she grunted, but something told Malik she knew far more than that. The old man simply flipped the switch again. But nothing happened; he kicked it next. Again, no response. Finally, he grunted and stormed toward the door, placing his hand on one of the two handles. And promptly, he yanked it away.

"What's wrong!?" Yugi asked, when the old man cursed and stormed back up. He shrugged.

"Something's jamming that there machine," the old man wheezed, pointing to the lever, "Unless we get it fixed up, we ain't goin' nowhere." Sith's eyes narrowed. That was utterly convenient, and she wanted nothing more than to just leave them all there. But she couldn't.

"Can _you_ fix it?" she asked, but the old man shook his head and pointed to the door. She didn't need him to explain to know what was wrong; _they_ had to stop the problem. She looked at them, and then walked toward the door. Ryou's eyes widened.

"You're… you're coming, dear?" he asked her gently, but her attitude hadn't improved toward him. She turned stiffly and stared at him, her eyes colder than he felt comfortable with. To her, he had no right even calling her 'dear,' anymore. He had no right even thinking she would be marrying him any longer.

"I'm not doing this for you," she said angrily, and turned away, "Mello is down there. I won't have him die because you decide not to help him." Ryou's eyes watered a little. So she hadn't forgiven him yet. But she had to, eventually.

"Sith, I'm sorry!" he pleaded helplessly, "Please, please don't be like this! I did a stupid thing! You have to forgive me!"

"I don't have to do anything," was the cool reply, "Including marrying you when _you're_ the possessive one." Ryou wiped his eyes and saw Sith was glaring at him now, her eyes thin and red again. Without her glasses, she looked horrifyingly cruel. She continued, "I have no memory. I have nothing but Aeon and Mello. And _you're_ trying to kill them! And yet…" Her eyes narrowed angrily, "And yet I'm the bad one."

"Sith, I didn't mean it that way!"

"You could have fooled me," she replied, and turned toward the old man, "We'll be going now. Don't let this castle move before we're back." The old man nodded, and without a word, Sith stormed to the doors and threw them open. Waves of heat and bursts of steam greeted them; Ryou had the distinct impression that they were going straight to the furnaces of the castle. He found he didn't want to go. But Sith wouldn't be giving him that choice; either he had to go or she'd go by herself. Which meant she'd stay with Mello. Ryou found he couldn't stand that thought, and rushed after her, Malik and Yugi following warily at his pace. The old man just watched until they vanished behind the doors. Then he sighed, shaking his head.

"Be careful, kids. What be jamming the machine could be a monster," he replied, and then shrugged, "Or maybe that scary, blonde boy what came running down here earlier. Don't matter. Just come back soon." And with that, he puffed his cigarette. This was going to be an excruciatingly boring wait. He just hoped he had enough cigarettes to last him.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After escaping Narshe and heading to Figaro, Ryou finds that indeed, Kefka was against him. Thankfully, Sith returned in time to slam the man's head into the wall, but if anything, she's less than happy to see Ryou. In fact, it appears their planned wedding is in dire peril. With Sith rejoining temporarily, will they be able to free the castle's mechanism? What will happen afterward? And is Mello the cause of it? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	11. The Horrors of 1993 dungeons

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of messy basements, even for Ryou's father. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care how messy Yaten's basement is as long as someone buys their games.

The sub-basement was a place Ryou feared to go. The lack of light was the first turn-off, but when he finally reached the bottom step, the dungeon was even bigger than he had expected. The stairs had opened up to a raised ledge that overlooked what seemed to be a vast maze of ledges, drained trenches, and dead ends; it could take days just figuring out where to even go, let alone find what happened to the machine. And it wasn't like they knew what the machine looked like. The only tipoff would be if Mello was there, and Ryou prayed to whatever god he could that the man just wasn't. Malik went ahead of him and looked around. The place was dark, foreboding… it was strangely just like the tombs of Egypt.

"Think we'll luck out and find the problem quickly?" he asked, raising an amused brow. He wasn't exactly concerned with the twists and turns involved in this basement; the heat was what really caused his worry. If they were near the furnaces, even he had to be careful. There was only so high a temperature human skin could handle. Even Sith had to be somewhat concerned.

"…anyone notice the smell?" Yugi commented, and Sith sniffed the air. She had, and she looked down toward the floor below. That was where it was coming from.

"Sulfur, rot, musk, death," she said casually, almost shrugging, "Standard for a dungeon. Let's go." Yugi and Malik exchanged worried glances, but neither argued with her as she went down a smaller flight of steps toward the lower level. Ryou brought a torch and followed last, raising the torch high to spread the light far enough for Sith to see. He needn't have bothered; she and Malik already stopped, but what for, Ryou didn't see yet.

"_S-Sith!_" Malik screeched quietly, and they both backed up, "Was that what I think it was!?" Sith nodded grimly, and Ryou came close to see what it was. The body of an unnamed soldier lay there; gray, stiff, and decomposing. Right in the middle of the floor, no less. Sith looked at the man's face. There was almost no expression left, and the eyes had been rotted out long before.

"Death…" she whispered, and knelt down. She found a bullet shell on the step, "And Mello's here, too…" Ryou felt his fists clench at that. She was worried about _Mello_. She pocketed the shell, shaking her head. Had Mello killed the guard? If so… why?

"Think that guy's insane or something?" Ishtar asked Yami, and Ryou knew Sith heard him, "I mean, come on. Shooting a stiff? What, did it get up and dance or something?"

"Considering that _you're_ undead, I wouldn't laugh," Sith said calmly, but her frown was enough for Ishtar to listen, "I don't think Mello did this… but whatever did was close. There are more bullet shells ahead." With that, Sith stepped over the corpse and picked up another bullet, and then a third. Continuing past her range, Ryou saw that there were a lot of bullets. Mello must've brought a lot of ammo.

"Any other stiffs?" Ishtar asked, and this time Bakura nudged him. Sith shook her head. Whether it was in disapproval or answer, Ryou didn't know.

"I'm sure there are," she said, and continued ahead, picking more shells up on the way. And as she had said, more bodies slowly came into view. All of them rotting and decomposing, all of them killed the say way: strangulation at one point, bullet shots at another. But why had Mello done this? Sith bent down to examine a body. It reeked of death, and she backed away, shivering. This was very disturbing to her. Something _had_ to have killed them all in one shot. But what could have done this?

"They're… they're all dead," Malik whispered, and Sith nodded as they stood together, looking down at the corpse. She took a deep breath. This was just too gruesome for her. And she had seen a lot of gruesome scenes before.

"Every single one of them was killed by something, and then shot again," she pointed out quietly, crossing her arms, "Every single soldier. Just what the hell was here?" More importantly, she thought, was Mello fighting this monster as they spoke? She didn't bother asking that. She wanted nothing to infuriate Ryou again. Malik patted her back, and her wings flapped.

"We should tell the old man about this," Yugi suggested, but Sith shook her head. Even if they did, what good would that do? They had to go and fix the broken mechanism. They had to stop whatever was jamming it. And they had to save… Mello…

"If you're that concerned, I'll go on ahead," she offered, but Malik quickly refused that notion. Even for Sith, this was going to be fatal.

"We just spotted thirty or forty corpses in ten minutes, and you're actually going to go deal with this yourself," he stated flatly, and laughed, "Sith, you're crazy. I'm not letting you go there. Not alone." Sith almost said she wouldn't be alone, but she stopped herself. She and Ryou were on bad enough terms right then. Ryou didn't deserve to have to deal with that, no matter how true it was. She turned, looking at a corpse that was lying in a corner some distance away.

"Then know you have my sincerest thanks," she replied calmly, and glanced back again, "Whatever did this kills by strangulation. How odd that no one has seen it, and that it wasn't reported. Only because we tried to get to Tzen…" She stopped suddenly, and her eyes widened. Slowly, she said, "Mello knew…"

"Wait, so there _is_ something down there!?" Riz asked her. She looked up, and Ryou saw she seemed to almost be crying. Now he felt horrible for yelling at her; it was clear she cared about Mello.

"Isn't there always?" Sith countered, "The question is, what is it? Turn to whatever section the basement of Figaro Castle is on. That should give us a good answer." Riz nodded, and she poured over the manual with Ishtar. It took less than a minute to find, but when they did, Ishtar suddenly burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. Sith blinked, looking up to see what was so funny. To her, this just wasn't. Not only was _she_ in danger, but so was Ryou, Malik, Yugi, and Mello. Malik glanced at her for a second, and then turned toward the screen.

"Why're you laughing?" he asked warily, raising a brow, "Ishtar, what's so damn funny?"

"Either Ultros came back or you're fighting another octopus," Ishtar commented, finally calming himself so people could understand him, "All I see are two pairs of tentacles." Malik's confusion only worsened. He remembered that fight well; Sith ended it in one shot. If it _was_ Ultros, then why was she so afraid? Another 9999 damage count and he'd be roasted seafood.

"Let me see it," he demanded, and Ishtar laughed again, showing him the picture in the bestiary. Malik stared at it. It literally was four tentacles popping up from a writhing sea of golden snakes. Or at least, that was the best comparison he could make. Snorting, he said, "Where the hell is its head!?"

"It looks pretty harmless to me," Yugi commented, smiling, "With Sith back here, she can just hit it and kill it in one blow, right?" But something told Ryou it wasn't that simple. He looked over at Sith. Now she seemed very concerned. He bit his lip, and then put a hand on her shoulder. For once, she didn't push him away.

"Sith, what's wrong?" he asked her. She hesitated, and then she took a deep breath.

"From what I remember, the recommended level for the _game_ is around forty," she replied calmly, but her worry did seep into her words, "I'm on level fifty; Mello's on level fifty two. But you three… you aren't even on level twenty. Those things will kill you, and even worse off, they _can_ drain life force from us. Killing them won't be easy." Ryou nodded, expecting as much. If she had access to her magic, that was a different story. But now they had to play fair. Fairness always came with a price.

"The main question is, how did they thrive down here?" Yami asked her, and Sith looked up, "They're plant-based in origin, it looks like. Something has to kill them off."

"They've been mutated for some time, though," Sith replied grimly, crossing her arms, "My guess is, overexposure to heat has caused immunity where it should have destroyed them. Magic may not work, and I know for a fact swords certainly won't. They regroup faster than I can slash them down, especially with their food source." Malik blinked, wondering what she was saying. She directed him to the dead body they had passed. His eyes widened, realizing what she was saying.

"They…they eat… corpses…" he concluded. Sith nodded, and then she looked away.

"Mello is in a lot of danger by going down there. He thought… he could stop them alone," she whispered, and Ryou felt her tremble, "I have to go and help him. The only way to stop them is to kill the main tentacles that come up. We slay them, the rest of the plant host will die accordingly." She didn't add that it would save Mello's life, but she didn't need to. Ryou nodded, knowing now that they didn't have a choice. Either way, defeating the monster would free up the castle, and they _had_ to get to Tzen. Malik patted Sith's back.

"Well, my friend, we'd better go and save Mello," he said, and grinned, "I'm not fond of corpses, despite growing up near them." Yugi laughed, and left the corridor with Malik, turning out toward another intersection. Ryou let go of Sith and walked forward a few feet. Then he turned to see her. She looked shaken now. The realization that she would lose her two dearest friends made Ryou feel guilt for exploding on her as he had.

"Sith… will you be okay?" he asked her, and she looked up at him, "I… Sith, I'm sorry. I didn't know… he meant so much to you."

"Believe it or not, Ryou, I had a life before I came to your world," she replied gently, calmly, "I don't know what relation Mello and I had, but it hasn't vanished. Forgive _me_, but don't take it out on him." Ryou frowned. If anything, Mello was the one constantly engaging the fights. But he didn't say that. He understood what Sith meant. He nodded, but without words, they continued on.

Malik and Yugi didn't get far ahead. The maze of ledges and trenches seemed to end abruptly and start up in bizarre patterns that no one could keep track of, and before long, they had been forced to stop. Sith and Ryou caught up quickly, and found Malik looking over the balcony leading into a trench. From what they saw, there was nothing of interest.

"Is something down there?" she asked calmly. Malik's expression grew grim. Something _was_ down there. A door, and one he knew led to what might be the boss. He turned to her.

"That door's the only way to go," he told her, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"We ready for this?" Yugi asked, and Ryou gulped. In all honesty, they weren't. But they couldn't go back; there was nowhere _to_ go unless they wanted to see Kefka again. None of them did. Sith swallowed hard, then nodded and stepped forward.

"The fact that it was so easy scares me, but I think we can do this," she replied. That was enough for Malik. He climbed down to a shorter ledge and was about to leap off, but Sith's sharp hand quickly stopped him, pulling him back up. He blinked. Didn't she just say to go off?

"Uh… Sith? What the hell?" he asked her.

"You would've landed on a spear rack, you idiot," she replied simply, and her look went flat, "Next time, if you want, I'll let you die." Then she dropped him and he landed with a thud next to her. He sighed. Sometimes, Sith was an absolute bitch. She walked toward a door on the right, and pushed on it; it didn't budge. Ears lowered, she tried again, this time with more force. Again, it didn't move.

"Is it locked?" Yami asked, as Sith attempted to smash it with her tail. When that failed, she turned and nodded curtly, her brows furrowed in anger. Of course there'd be a locked door at this time. It was utterly convenient on Kefka's part. Bakura sighed, shaking his head with sympathy.

"It's a damn shame I can't pick the lock," he mumbled. Sith looked at him, and then an idea came. She smiled. And instantly, he didn't like her smile.

"Perhaps you can? Is there a way to manipulate the Shadow Realm and warp directly here?" she asked him, hope tinting her voice, "I've seen you do so. From my understanding, it isn't unlike Oblivion, which can also be manipulated." Unfortunately, none of the three spirits looked as hopeful. And that brought her mood down. Ishtar bit his lip; even he didn't want to dissuade her at that point.

"He can't," the youngest spirit told her regretfully, "We've never been to that world before. Like Time, we need coordinates to manipulate the Shadow Realm. We can't just warp any damn place we please." Sith looked down, expecting as much. It was a universal thing, then, because Espers had to know such information as well. Otherwise, they would simply end up in a void of Space if they tried without that knowledge.

"Magic's hard," Yugi commented, and then yelped when Sith growled and stormed up to the door again. Ryou watched her eyes harden as she glared furiously at the door. But something was different now. He felt something stir. No… he felt something _rise_, something he hadn't felt in weeks. Sith's energy.

"Locked door, my ass," Sith said, and thrust out her left hand. Her eyes blazed, and for a second, her wings went red. Then, she screamed, '_SEIRFREUG!_' Fire erupted from her open palm, slamming right into the door. It crumbled apart into a spray of ash, whipping around the woman, flying into random directions as the stone frame began to creak, and then to crack and split until nothing of the door remained. And Sith, all the while, stood in its midst until it all died down. And when it did, everyone's mouths dropped. That was magic! Pure, destructive magic!

"My Ra! What… what _POWER!_" Bakura exclaimed, smiling proudly. Ishtar simply stared, his mind blown at the sheer volume of energy he felt from the spell. Even before, Sith had never generated so much energy, so much anger before. She could have destroyed the entire castle with a spell so powerful. How could she have even controlled it?

"Sith… your power!" Ryou exclaimed, running over, "It was sealed! How did you… how did you _do_ that!?"

"Magic works in different ways, Ryou," she said calmly, a sly grin on her face, "Anger… hatred… love… sorrow… all of that can power it up, can _conduct_ it into a pure force. The anger I felt, the horror of being too late to save Mello, to save Aeon, allowed me to tap into the voids and destroy the obstacle." Ryou nodded absently, silently wondering if she would have been able to receive that power, should _he_ have been the one in danger. But he didn't dare ask. Malik just whistled lowly.

"Damn, I'm almost jealous. All our items rely on are old enchantments and memories," Malik told her, and laughed, "So does this mean you can just blow Rath up in two seconds? I mean, come on, we all hate her, right?" Sith snorted, shaking her head. Malik was just trying to be funny. But battling the Mystics wasn't that simple. Her expression sobered.

"There is a reason my power can't kill her in a single blow," Sith said grimly, and Malik stopped, tilting his head, "I'll explain it to you all. Someday. But now isn't the time. There's too much at stake that we have to save." Ryou nodded, and Sith started forward. Then she stopped and turned toward him, "Ryou, I promise that one day I'll explain everything. It just… has never been the right time." Ryou could understand that. Every time they had gotten to a relatively safe point, the Mystics struck continuously. Sith _couldn't_ explain, not without sacrificing something important to do so. And she refused to sacrifice her own friends.

"So then let's get to saving," Malik stated, and turned to Sith, "Okay, Sith. You know more about this place than we do. How do we get down there?" Sith tapped her chin. That was a good question; jumping wasn't an option. Not even she might survive that sort of fall, and the trench was constructed of crude stone. The landing wouldn't be soft, to say the least. Yugi frowned; with the walls of the trench smoothed, any holds had been taken away.

"Climbing's no option," he said. Sith hummed, looking at the railing. If she could bend it, perhaps manipulate its fibers magically, she might be able to get a way down there. Taking a breath, she tried just that. Only a few spells would allow her to actually _manipulate_ something that ordinarily couldn't be controlled, but she knew at least one of them. Unfortunately, when she unleashed it, an explosion erupted on the surface of the metal. Her face hardened.

"Reflective metal," she stated grimly, crossing her arms again, "Someone prepared this well." Malik groaned in frustration, but Ryou wasn't inclined to let them give up. He walked toward the railing and looked around. To the left was a dead end; to the right was another dead end. But just before the right wing ended, there was a slope that seemed to drop into the trench. The only problem was that the drop was over twenty feet high. _Only_ Sith could survive that, with her inhuman strength.

"Come on," Ryou said, and led the other three toward the slope. It was old, unused, and rickety. And dusty; obviously, Mello hadn't used that to get ahead. Sith wouldn't have been surprised if he actually jumped the banister. He was that crazy. But she did note the drop as well. She certainly wasn't going to go down there alone.

"Well, then how do we get down there!?" Bakura asked her, when she said that. Sith just rose a slightly insulted brow. She didn't appreciate being screamed at, especially for something she felt was warranted. Why _should_ she go down there, anyway? Well, aside from the fact that Mello was probably getting his ass kicked. Ryou just snorted. He heard that thought clearly, and patted her shoulder.

"Unless we jump, you have to head down there," he said to her, and Sith's expression turned to a furious glare. Now she was just angry. Was this punishment because she didn't choose him? She crossed her arms defiantly, holding her chin up as she regarded him. He was, unfortunately, being sincere.

"And how do you expect me to get back up here!?" she demanded furiously, though she was keeping her temper under relative control. She wasn't drawing her sword yet. Ryou bit his lip. This would require some quick thinking if she wasn't going to stab him. He glanced to his left; there were a few crates they could probably stack.

"What if you stack those crates and use them like a stairway?" he suggested. Sith looked over at the crates he was talking about. They looked about as unsafe as the slope, and they smelled bad to her. Whatever was in them was probably rotting. Or dead.

"That'd work if I wanted to die," she mumbled, and waved her hand, "Fine. But if you drop one on my head, I'll crack your skull apart." Ryou shivered, turning quickly. That was a threat he didn't want to see fulfilled. He walked to the first crate as Sith slid down the slope. He heard it rumble under her weight, and then heard a loud thud as she slammed right into the ground. And he risked looking over. She had landed right on her stomach.

"You okay, Sith!?" Malik called, looking over the railing. He heard Sith moan miserably, her wings flapping angrily as she picked herself up. She looked up and nodded stiffly.

"Right now I wish I were dead!" came the furious reply, and Malik just laughed. Sometimes, Sith was just ridiculous. He took one crate and pushed it down the slope after her. He heard a yelp, a curse, and then a thud as the crate was pushed in place, and he let another fall. For several minutes, this repeated until a crude, but somewhat serviceable staircase was made. Malik looked down at it, and then slid down the slope. When he landed, he actually kicked the crates. They didn't budge.

"Well, it holds up!" he exclaimed proudly, and then turned to Sith, "Now what?" Sith's eyes narrowed flatly. To her, that was a stupid question. There was only one way to go now. She pointed to the door, and Yugi coughed as he landed next, followed by Ryou. They all could feel more than hear the 'how about we follow the one damn road we're on' going through Sith's mind.

"Before we go kill ourselves, let's make sure we're equipped," the older woman said with a sign, "Surely, you managed to pick something up before letting yourselves be ambushed, right?" Ryou and Malik exchanged worried glances, and their skin paled immediately.

"Uh…" Yugi said, and that was enough for Sith. She shook her head in absolute bewilderment and just walked forward. But rather than open the door, she went a step further; just to show how truly pissed off she was, she slammed a fireball into the door and broke it apart. Ryou's mouth dropped at the power of her spell, and watched in silence as she stormed right in, Zealacht in her hand.

What awaited them sent even Sith speechless. The entire floor slithered and writhed as millions of vine-like tentacles wavered, and four particularly large ones sprang up, shivering wildly as they 'saw' their new food. Though technically impossible coming from such a creature, Malik swore he heard something hissing at him, too.

"Yeah, well, _we_ don't want to be here, either, you mangy houseplant!" he yelled at them. That only appeared to piss them off more; one immediately slammed into him, throwing him against a wall. As he slid down, Riz saw his health go into the critical point already. Sith was already casting a healing spell on him, thankfully.

"If Sith does the healing, how the hell are they going to fight that thing!?" Bakura demanded furiously, brows creased, "She's the only one with enough power to fry them into submission!" Never mind the fact that she'd just been attacked herself. Another tentacle had slammed her right across the head, sending the older woman reeling as she staggered backwards. She shook her head; she nearly saw stars.

"Sith, you okay!?" Yugi called to her. She growled, clutching her forearm. He saw blood was trickling down a bit.

"I'll live, as long as it doesn't do _that_ again," she growled, "We need a new tactic. I _have_ to attack!" But the problem was, every time she _wasn't_ targeted, her friends were nearly dead. She had to keep them healed, too. So, for three turns, it went on with Sith constantly healing the party, while the other three did no damage at all. Even Malik's Bum Rush proved ineffective; he was just too low level.

"_What the hell do we do!?_" Malik finally screamed, looking at Sith, "We can't kill it!"

"It's not like I'm sitting here doing nothing!" she yelled back angrily, her wings shaking, "I'm trying to keep you three from being slaughtered!" Malik just sighed. No matter which job Sith took, someone somewhere was suffering. But when another tentacle moved to slash Sith, three gunshots stopped it. The battle abruptly halted. Sith and Ryou turned quickly to see what had caused such a delay. Mello stood there, gun aimed.

"Mello!" Sith exclaimed, as Ryou's mouth dropped as he asked, "What is he doing here!?"

"Saving your sorry asses," Mello replied calmly, and smirked, "Duuuuck." Three more gunshots went off, and Ryou ducked as he was told. All three pummeled the same tentacle as before, and _it_ reeled this time. A quick number flashed above it to show Mello did damage; he did nearly two thousand points to it.

"Holy shit!" Ishtar exclaimed. And his excitement only rose when Sith immediately followed Mello's assault with a blast of '_Seirfreug_.' That alone reached that beloved 9999 damage mark. And one tentacle went down. Malik's eye twitched as he watched it all happen.

"I don't even _want_ to know how much damage she could do without that 9999 limit," he commented, and laughed, "Cult of the Tomb Keepers, you may weep. For once, we've found someone stronger than the pharaoh." Ishtar snorted. That was an understatement; Sith could've easily killed Yami, and anyone else he'd try to summon with him. And now with her magic back…

"_HELP!_" Yugi screamed, just as Ishtar thought that. Everyone turned and saw that Yugi had been snatched by another tentacle; his health was now depleting by the second, and he began to grow pale. Bakura's mouth dropped.

"What in hell!?" he demanded, looking from Sith to Mello. Both seemed equally as angry now, but Mello was faster. He tried to aim his gun, but found that unless he wanted to kill Yugi, he couldn't hit his target. And he didn't want to kill Yugi. He growled.

"Damn bastards are trying to suck the life out of us!" the blonde exclaimed, and when a tentacle wrapped around his wrist, he screamed, "_GET OFF!_" And promptly kicked the tentacle. Sith's turn came again, her agility doubling Ryou's, and she unleashed a terrible blast of blue lightning at the tentacle holding Yugi. It writhed, and released its grip on the boy. Then it fell to the ground, dead. But that still left two more.

"How strong _are_ those things!?" Riz asked, when the third tentacle slashed Sith, and poisoned her. She fell to the ground, and Mello shot at it three more times. Yami risked a look at the guide; perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as he thought. But when he did see, he regretted it. The health meter was over twenty two thousand. His eyes shrank and his skin went white.

"…perhaps you shouldn't know," he said quietly. But Sith wasn't scared, and neither was Mello. They nodded to each other, and this time Sith took out her sword. Mello was already aiming by the time Sith leapt into the air. And when she landed, she wasn't even hit with any of Mello's bullets as she let loose a whirl of devastating slashes against both tentacles. The result was beautiful: explosion upon explosion from Mello's gun, and the wind from Sith's cuts only added to it. Together, they did nearly thirty thousand points of damage. And together, the last two tentacles died.

"_YES!_" Malik roared, raising both arms as Ryou and Yugi high-fived. Sith could only smile; in about one minute, all of the writhing tentacles around them were withering and dying away. And across the room, they saw a doorway open up. Sith took a deep breath, and then saw Mello walking forward without so much as a word to her. She frowned, and followed him, both beginning to run when they heard rumbling from the room beyond. Yugi and Ryou turned, seeing them. And to the others in the 'real' world, an FMV began, depicting just this.

"W-where are they going?" Yugi asked Ryou in worry, as the rumbling grew until the basement shook. They could hear stone crunching, and knew that something somewhere was collapsing. Whatever Sith and Mello were doing, they had better do it quickly; this place was falling apart.

"Sith!" Ryou called, and Malik grabbed his arm, dragging him out. He didn't even struggle; the room was caving even as they ran out. Malik continued on, with Yugi right by him, and only when they reached where the stacked crates were did they stop and turn to see the destruction.

The room had already fallen in, and the rumbling was incredible; it drowned out every other sound. Every gasp, every scream, every creak of the stones were lost in the roar of the collapse, and soon Ryou could see smoke billowing out of the doorway. The tremors slowly began to die down, but he could see nothing through the smoke. Just as quickly as it happened, the collapse stopped as well. And in that instance, he realized that perhaps neither Sith nor Mello survived at all.

"S-Sith?" Yugi whispered, and Ryou heard his voice quiver. He knew the unspoken question, but he couldn't answer it. He couldn't say Sith was dead. But how _could_ she have possibly survived? How could Mello have?

Ryou felt ready to accept the fact that perhaps they had died after all. He looked down. That felt… so empty to think. Just not long ago, Sith had thrown them out of the castle, and it hadn't even been resolved. Whatever happened between her and Mello, between her and Ryou, none of it could ever be discussed. And before he could even truly apologize, she was gone. He couldn't believe that his last memory of her was her throwing him out of the castle, out of her life. And what hurt most was that her last memory was the same as well. But then he realized something more important than both of those. Neither Yugi nor Malik were upset. He glanced at them. They were staring into the smoke.

"Do you see it?" Yugi asked.

"Look!" Malik said, and pointed into the smoke. Ryou looked up, squinting his eyes. Something was rippling in the heavy veil. It was moving towards them, and as it came closer… it was Mello! He had lived! And in his arms was none other than Sith herself. She was unconscious. Ryou's mouth dropped. They both lived! But… how?

"You two okay!?" Yugi called, running over. Mello stopped at his approach, and nodded grimly. Now out of the concealing smoke, Ryou saw that Mello was bleeding a bit, and Sith was faring no better. Mello looked down at her, and then gently laid her on the ground. Then, he turned to Ryou. And for once, he didn't look ready to kill him just yet.

"She needs to rest. Getting the machine running took more out of her than we thought," Mello told him, and began to walk away, "Don't let her die, Ryou. I'll really kill you then." Ryou's mind was slow to process what was said to him, but when he finally did hear it, he turned sharply and grabbed Mello's arm. Mello halted again. And this time, he did glare.

"Where are you going!? What about Sith!?" the younger boy demanded.

"Sith, eh? You sure seem eager to have me take her away, when you were so quick to marry her last time, eh?" Mello reminded him, and Ryou looked away, "What's it gonna be, Ryou?" Ryou felt his shoulders tense. This man was just being cruel now. If he didn't have a gun, Ryou would've considered slapping him.

"You're really going to leave Sith?" the white-haired boy slowly whispered, and Mello's brow rose, "Don't you love her?"

"Of course I do, you idiot," Mello replied shortly, and then sighed and shook his head, "Look. Falnika has Aeon, and I have to go and help him. Sith's not safe; not with me. Just… just watch her for a bit, okay?" Before Ryou could even stop him, Mello shook him off and left them. Ryou's fury subsided; for once, he began to understand now why Mello wasn't around _more_. He had to keep Sith safe. And that meant staying away from her sometimes. But then…

"What the hell's his problem?" Malik asked, snapping Ryou out of his thoughts, "Does he love Sith or doesn't he!?" Ryou's look went flat. Considering the fact that _he_ was still Sith's fiancé, it was pretty bold of Malik to state that so plainly. But Ryou shook it away. Right then, they had to help Sith. He bent down.

"He does. That's why he left her with us," he replied calmly, picking the older woman up, "Let's go. Once we get to Tzen, we might find something to help us get out of here." Then, he too walked forward, away from the ruins of what had once been the engine room. Yugi and Malik exchanged worried glances. Then, they followed Ryou.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

And so, with the overgrown monster in the basement defeated, it looks like Ryou will finally be able to head to the Vector continent. But first, Sith needs to wake up and join them again. And then they need to figure out where Mello is heading. Why has he decided to leave Sith with Ryou? Does he know a way to Falnika's dungeon? And has Sith really regained her magic? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	12. Return of the Bards Three

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he's glad Ryou's still alive in my stories. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't care about Ryou.

To say that he wanted to leave the basement was a bit of an understatement for Ryou. Not only did he want to leave the basement, he would've been absolutely fine leaving the entire castle, including the insane clown who was currently still in it. Hell, he'd have left this _world_ if he could. But things weren't that easy. They couldn't leave the castle. Sith _needed_ to wake up, and if they had any chance of finding Mello, or Aeon, they'd need her to do it. The good news was that the tremors from the death of the tentacles destroyed most of the trench sides, creating crude, sturdy staircases for them to climb on. The bad news was that Sith was heavy; Ryou had an impossibly hard time just carrying her, let alone climbing up with her on his back. But he prevailed. And when he did, he wasted no time in rushing either himself or everyone else back up into the relative safety of the castle. And he nearly mowed down the old man guarding the machine's lever in the process, too.

"Whoa! Where be that there fire, kid?" the old man puffed on his cigarette, and then wheezed when he exhaled the smoke. Ryou slumped over as Malik helped to lay Sith on the ground. It had been just too long a day, and neither of them wanted to answer the old man. But Ryou forced himself to humor the man.

"We were nearly slaughtered by whatever was jamming that machine," Ryou said, gasping for breath, "Trying not… to die…"

"Did you know that most of the former guards are dead down there?" Malik asked the old man, when Ryou didn't speak again for several minutes. The man showed no emotion. He simply took another inhalation of smoke, and puffed it out coolly.

"So that be why them followers o' the king ain't coming back! What a relief!" the old man finally exclaimed, and his reaction shocked both Ryou and Malik; Yugi was too concerned with Sith to pay much attention, "And here I be thinking they joined Kefka." Malik look went from absolutely shocked, to simply flat. _That_ was his reaction to his _fellow men_ being killed!? That was just heartless.

"You're _relieved!?_" Malik asked in disbelief, "Okay, you might be the last damn person here who hasn't lost his mind! Why does that make you _happy!?_"

"Malik, stop," Yugi said, standing up after making sure Sith would be okay, "For all we know, he might be on Kefka's side, or worse. Just be thankful _we_ made it out okay." Malik wanted to argue that there were innocent people down there, but he knew that ultimately Yugi was right. There was nothing to be done about it. Even with Sith's power back, she might not be able to revive any of them. Even that might've been going against the Espers, and they couldn't let her be penalized again. She _wouldn't_ get her power back a second time.

"'Sides, whatever be gumming up the machine be gone now, and those bodies be cremated in the heat," the old man added, as if that made everything better, "Best to be headin' out toward Kohlingen." Malik nodded absently. And then he heard _where_ they were going. Didn't Sith say they had to go to Tzen?

"W-wait, Kohlingen!?" Malik repeated, eyes widened, "What about…" He didn't finish as the man pulled the lever. This time, the castle shook violently, and Malik yelped as he was flung forcefully into a wall. Ryou and Yugi both ducked, and Sith slid from where she was sitting. Riz and the three spirits watched in silence; they could hardly believe just what they were seeing.

"What the hell was that?" Ishtar asked in disbelief, when the castle finally seemed to stop shaking. Yugi was the first to get up, and he looked around the small room. Nothing seemed to have changed at all. The old man, however, was grinning as he lit another cigarette. He seemed to be the only one who expected such a crash.

"That be the friction from this here castle, sonny," he said with a puff, "We be literally diving as I speak!" Malik's mouth dropped. Did he just say the castle _moved!?_ Oh, if only Sith had been up to see it! She might've been able to explain this to them. Hell, she might have invented it herself, considering her age. Bakura just seemed ecstatic about it as he pointed to the screen.

"Dove under the... You mean this castle actually _does_ move!?" he asked, amazed, "Cool! So then, can it crash too?" Everyone stared up at him blankly. That should've been self-explanatory. But for some reason, in Bakura's twisted mind, it wasn't. Yami just shook his head and threw the guide at the old thief.

"Yes, it crashes, you moron!" Yami replied shortly, "It'd have to defy gravity _not_ to!" Bakura glared at him.

"It's not _my_ fault I don't study physics, pharaoh," the thief replied, and crossed his arms, "And if any of you assholes tell me it is, I'll stab you."

"Bakura, shut up. We have actual problems here," Malik said grimly, and turned to the old man, "What the hell do you mean, we're going to _Kohlingen_? We said _very clearly_ that we wanted to head to Tzen. What the hell?" The old man paled a bit, and then turned to a small map behind him. He read it for a moment, and then pressed a button. Then he coughed, and turned again. He looked white now.

"Er… well, we _were_ going to Kohlingen, but it looks like we be taking a detour, young'un," the old man said nervously, "Normally, we take the trench down toward the west coast, but it be looking like the trench was moved." Malik's eyes narrowed. The trench was _changed_. And only one person could be responsible for that kind of alteration. He turned to Ryou.

"Falnika did this," he stated plainly, and Ryou nodded. Then he glanced at Sith. This was just the perfect time for them to be attacked, with Sith out of commission. It was just too convenient. He frowned.

"We have to get Sith up," he said. But what could they do? Mello was pretty clear that if Sith was hurt, he'd kill them. Ryou knew he would. Malik shrugged helplessly.

"We can't just head out without her. She's the only one who can kill Falnika," Malik reasoned, and looked down, "This sucks. Mello should've stayed so we had some help. But… no, he decides that _now_ you should take care of her. What an ass." Ryou's frown worsened. As much as he hated Mello and all the man stood for, the fact was that Sith cared for him. Which meant Ryou couldn't harm him. And that wasn't fair.

"I'm really confused," Riz finally said, and everyone looked over at her, "Okay, so does this mean Sith's dating Mello, but marrying Ryou? I don't get it. What kind of weird game is this?" Everyone's look went flat. To anyone who didn't personally understand Sith, this was exactly what it looked like. But this wasn't what it looked like. Ryou turned sharply.

"…let's go," he said monotonously, and walked up the steps. Malik watched him, frowned, and then picked Sith up. That was the worst time for Riz to question Sith, and he hoped she knew it. Silently, he followed Ryou.

Ryou wasn't entirely sure what he should've been feeling right then, but nothing made particular sense to him. He should've been angrier with Sith, but he found he wasn't. He just really… really wasn't. He was sad, that was no doubt, and he would've been depressed if he had the time. But he wasn't as angry as he thought. Maybe that was because she was currently unconscious, though. He didn't know, and part of him had to admit he didn't want to know.

But as he stood in the entrance hall, he realized that this might actually impede them at some point. Mello had said to take care of Sith, but that meant he'd be back. And Ryou knew that if Sith did wake up, all his emotion regarding what had happened would come flooding back. Her being unconscious was a stopper for that flood. Angrily, his brows creased. This should have been simple. He should have just shot Mello right in the back. He should've ended their rivalry. He should've acted as Sith's fiancé, and not some terrified boy who was afraid of the school bully. He clenched his fists. The next time, he promised himself, he'd make sure Mello was dead.

"Ryou?" he heard Malik call, and saw him walking up, Sith in his arms, "You okay, buddy? You look pretty distracted there." Ryou's stormy expression softened, and he sighed, looking away. He _was_ distracted. And he couldn't bear to look at Sith.

"I don't want to do this," he stated, and Malik stopped, "Malik, I've had enough. I say we go home." Malik frowned now. Ryou didn't just sound distracted. He seemed absolutely defeated. Gently, Malik set Sith down and walked over, patting Ryou's back.

"We can't, Ryou. If we go back now, who's going to help Aeon?" Malik reminded him, "And what about Sith? We can't let her down…"

"I don't care if she's let down!" Ryou burst out, and Malik reeled as Yugi came up, "Don't you get it!? We're just humans, Malik. We're not… we're not supposed to protect Sith. We can't. We've tried, and every time we do… this happens. Well, I can't do this anymore. I'm going home." Unfortunately, Malik wasn't going to let Ryou off that easily. Ryou had turned to walk away, but Malik grabbed his arm and stopped him. He turned the white-haired boy to face him. He looked gaunt.

"So that's it? You're going to go home and leave Sith like this?" Malik asked him harshly, and Ryou flinched, "Wow. Real fucking compassionate, isn't it? Look, you can give up, but I'm not going to, and neither is Yugi. We owe Sith six years of our lives. Whether you like it or not, we just do. And we have to pay her back. It's only right." Only right? Ryou nearly laughed. Sith was practically leaving him, and that was fair. It wasn't! He shook his head violently.

"I'm not going to do this anymore! Don't you understand that we're going to die now?" Ryou cried, and took a deep breath, "Malik, Mello didn't give Sith to us because he wants us to win. He gave her to us so _he_ could win. I can't fight him. I won't win."

"So you're going to give up," Malik concluded, and crossed his arms, "Goddamn it, Ryou. Don't you have a reason to fight!? What about Sith!?"

"I don't have a reason anymore," Ryou said quietly. At that, Malik did something not even Ishtar would've expected. He slammed Ryou right in the face, and the boy went flying across the room. Riz gasped, and Bakura shouted something incoherent as Ryou fell to the ground. He barely saw Malik approaching him, and closed his eyes. But the second blow didn't come.

"Stand up, Ryou," Malik said grimly, and Ryou looked up at him, "I don't have time for cowards. You have a reason. You just don't want that reason, not anymore. Not when you realize there's someone else who has that same reason. But guess what? Either you keep that reason, or you go home _alone_ and _I'll_ make sure Sith marries the one who actually fought for her. And it won't be you." Ryou stared up at Malik. It was so rare for him to lose his temper; they had been best friends for years now. But he obviously was just as loyal to Sith as Yugi was. And inside, Ryou knew Malik was right. He was letting Sith down. He looked away.

"I can't…" he whispered, "Sith doesn't need me any longer." Malik was close to punching him again, but then he shook his head. There was no time for a pity party. He frowned.

"I'll be sure to tell her that when Mello's dead," Malik said grimly, and turned away, "Come on, Yugi. Get Sith and let's get going. Falnika's not going to stop, and neither can we." Yugi looked back at Ryou sadly, but he knew the boy's mind wouldn't change. Carefully, the small boy picked Sith up and walked behind Malik, who was already halfway up the stairs. Ryou simply watched them, and then looked away again. He didn't want to continue on. He wanted to go home. But could he just leave Sith like that? He wanted to follow the right way. But the problem was…

"How… do I know which way… is right?" he asked no one, and then trudged up the stairs as well. Malik hadn't gotten too far, thankfully. He was right by the front gates, which Ryou noted was unguarded. Probably Mello's handiwork, considering his gun.

"Mello couldn't have gotten too far, but he's long gone," Malik stated seriously, looking across the vast desert before them. Though not nearly as big as the Figaro plains, it was big enough, and this time, Sith wasn't with them to guide them through. Yugi blinked as he watched and shifted Sith onto his shoulder. The air was dry, the weather warm. Mello was bound to be close… wasn't he?

"You think he's crossing the continent alone?" Yugi asked, looking up at Malik. The blonde nodded grimly, and Ishtar coughed pointedly. Yugi looked up at him through the screen, and he shrugged.

"Considering his stubbornness, I'm not surprised," the spirit commented, and crossed his arms, "He was clear he's going to Vector. What I don't understand is what he wants to accomplish. He can't destroy Falnika." Ishtar had the good sense not to add that he couldn't _without Sith_. Ryou heard the unspoken statement anyway. He frowned as he looked toward the southern horizon. Tzen was a long walk from there.

"We have to find him before he kills himself," Ryou said, and Malik turned to him sharply, his brows risen in surprise, "Not because of Sith. He and I have a score to settle." Malik's mouth dropped at that statement. Was Ryou _crazy_!? He could _never_ win against a man like Mello! Bakura just laughed hysterically. He must've shared the same opinion as Malik did.

"Ryou, I love you, but I really don't think you need to make a bigger enemy of him than he already is," the old thief said wisely, laughing, "He'll kick your ass and then he'll take Sith. You're better off letting Falnika kill him." Ryou growled. That was true, but this was more than just over Sith. This was his dignity. Mello was insulting him by leaving Sith in his care. Sith herself certainly didn't seem to want much to do with Ryou. And frankly, the white-haired boy wasn't sure if he blamed her or not. He glared at Bakura.

"Shut up," he said flatly, but Bakura merely laughed harder, "_SHUT UP!_ Bakura, this is about pride! That bastard is mocking me, even now!"

"Ryou, calm down a second," Bakura replied, and Ryou did so at his grave tone. Now, he wasn't laughing, "You're already losing by acting this way. Don't you think that's why Sith is so unhappy?" Ryou stopped suddenly. Slowly, he looked back up at Bakura again, and this time sadness crossed his face, not fury. Pride was what was making Sith so miserable? Because he was proud and didn't want Mello to win?

"Because I have pride?" Ryou asked slowly, and Bakura shook his head.

"Because you're being an ass," he said simply, and when Ryou tilted his head, he continued, "Ryou, you know damn well Sith didn't have much interest when she _first_ met you. Did you ever ask yourself why she changed her mind and what made her do it?" Ryou had to admit that he never did. Nor did he ask _her_. He frowned.

"You think she didn't choose me of her own volition," Ryou concluded, and when Bakura nodded, he asked, "Mello?" Bakura just shook his head, and his expression turned dark. There were only a few people who could influence Sith's choices so powerfully. If it wasn't Mello, and it certainly wasn't Ryou, that left one person. "…Katt." At this, Bakura nodded.

"What do you mean, it was Katt!?" Malik suddenly demanded, and his anger snapped Ryou out of his momentary shock, "Why the hell would _Katt_ care who Sith dated!?" In all honesty, Katt seemed to only care about her own love life when it came to romance. Bakura's expression didn't lighten. His lips thinned.

"She's been acting oddly ever since we've first spotted Mello, and when we spoke to her in the square earlier, she mumbled something and then ran off," Bakura admitted slowly, and then firmly said, "I'm not so sure it _isn't_ about Mello." Ryou took a deep breath. For once, he wasn't as horribly surprised as he thought he'd be. But it was hard to fathom. Sith only chose him because of Katt. But… but that couldn't be true! He shook his head.

"No one could have done that to Sith," he told them, "She's too strong." But the look on Malik's face told him his opinion wasn't shared. Sith was strong, but she loved her sister. She'd do this to appease Katt.

"Ryou, even I know Sith had a pretty sudden change of heart about you," the older boy stated, and Ryou's eyes hardened.

"So you automatically think it's because of someone else!?" he demanded. Malik's look softened.

"Don't you think your current problems prove that?" Malik pointed out. Ryou lost it, at least on the inside. In truth, they did. They had done so beforehand; Ryou was just too vain and too angry to realize it, or even see it at all. But now… even Yami had understood. That was why he played mediator when they actually went on their date. It hadn't even gone well then. Ryou's body shook. Sith hadn't chosen him after all… No! She had! Except, she hadn't… but she said she cared! But was care the same as love? Ryou's mind whirled. And finally, he said the only thing he could.

"…" It took Ryou a moment, and it all came out with a tumult of fear, sadness, regret, and self-hatred, "_FUCK IT ALL TO HELL!_" And with that, he rushed away, into the desert. Where he was going, he didn't care. He had to just get away and think for a second. Sort this all out. Oh god, just how could he have been so blind? Sith _wasn't_ happy, and had said it so clearly, so many times. In her tone, in her eyes, in her words, even in the way she did care for him. And he hadn't listened because he was so focused on eliminating Mello and the Mystics. He failed to notice that Malik wasn't even stopping him.

"…poor kid," Malik said after a moment of stunned silence, and looked down at Yugi, "Let's hope to hell that he gets his head straight."

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Yugi asked him, and Malik shook his head. If they did that, Ryou wouldn't have the time he needed. Besides, they also had problems of their own. They were simply two. And neither had particularly good healing abilities, either. Malik just sighed. What a time to lose their friends.

"No. He has to learn this by himself," Malik said finally, and took a deep breath, "Let's get to Tzen, get some answers, and then we'll look for him. Without Sith, we're as good as dead if we head to Vector. But we can make it to the town." Yugi nodded, and he picked up Sith again.

The desert wasn't nearly as bad as Malik had once feared. Sure, it was hot, but Egypt had been hot, too. Years of living in it made his skin tough as nails, and nearly impenetrable to fire and heat. Years of living in the hot sand, burying in it, shoveling it, building with it, hell, even sometimes _eating_ it, had made him a virtual fortress of vigor when it came to taking heat. Not even the gods of fire stood a chance against the self-proclaimed awesome might of Malik Ishtar.

But it was clear that after an hour, Yugi _wasn't_ doing nearly as well. His skin was pale, but there were red splotches on his skin where he was getting burned. And he was tired, too. Carrying Sith, as light as she looked and as slender as she was, was more of a task than Malik thought. And when _he_ decided to carry her… he found she was _much_ heavier than he had thought, too. Just how much did she weigh, and where was that weight being kept!? Such a tiny woman shouldn't weigh so damn much. Then again, maybe an Esper's sense of gravity was different from a human. All of their other senses were, to be sure.

"Ra be damned, she's _heavy_!" Malik groaned miserably as they trudged through the sand, "I don't care if Mello wins! Just as long as I don't ever need to carry her again!" Yugi could only laugh.

"Make sure Ryou never hears that and we'll be fine," he teased. Malik's face hardened, and he turned toward where Ryou had last gone, for just a second. His lips thinned as he turned back and began once again, shifting Sith so she didn't fall.

"If Ryou's going to be sensitive, let him be," Malik just said simply, "Come on, Yugi." Yugi just nodded, and without Sith to keep him held down, he ran alongside Malik.

Malik wasn't quite sure which way they should've been heading, but within another hour, they had crossed the desert. Sandy dunes gave way to verdant, green plains, and the sky above them was blue and bright. It was a nice day, and the weather began to mild by the time they reached the edge of the sand. But what worried Malik was the lack of path; who knew where they were supposed to go from there? The old man back at Figaro hadn't even given them a direction to go with. Then again, it wasn't like Ryou was in the best place to listen, either. And truth be told, Malik was sure he would've forgotten if he had known it, too. He looked up at Riz as he realized this. She was sitting in Ryou's living room, watching them both intently. This must've seemed like a movie to her.

"Is there a map in that guide of yours?" he asked her, and when Yugi came to a stop beside him, he said, "I have no idea where the hell we have to go." Riz flipped through the book, trying to find what would be of any use. She did find a map; the problem was, where Tzen was located, there were actually _two_ deserts on that continent. She didn't know which one Malik had just traversed. She frowned.

"Er… try going southwest," she suggested, and when Malik rose a brow at her skeptical tone, she said, "There are two deserts, but one of them has a town almost immediately next to it." Malik looked toward the southwest. All that greeted him were the plains and mountains in the far distance.

"I'm not seeing any towns there, Riz," he told her flatly. Riz was about to tell him to go that way anyway, but Yugi beat her to it.

"Maybe we should. Who knows what we'll find," the younger boy said, and frowned slightly, "Besides, we have to take care of Sith. She needs to rest." Malik's lips thinned. That was right. Sith wasn't recovering out here. He nodded absently.

"Aye, then I guess we go southwest," he said quietly.

Malik had trusted Riz's assumption that they were going the right way to get to Tzen. He had nothing else to go on, and without a direction to follow or a map to look at, he was pretty much willing to believe anything anyone said that sounded promising. But as they walked, and as he looked on and saw nothing but the rolling hills and the coastline, he began to wish he actually told them to show him the map. Something in him told him that Riz had just about as much idea where he was as he had.

But he knew if he even let one word of his suspicion slip out, it'd send Yugi into a flying panic. And with Sith and Ryou both gone, that was a bad thing to do: Yugi was the only one with actual magic now, and Malik knew Bum Rush could only do so much physical damage. But he also knew Yugi was growing suspiciously aware of the fact that they weren't getting any closer to civilization. And with Sith still unconscious, that would be a growing problem. And if she happened to wake up? Forget it; Malik was quite sure she'd have more than enough to say about that. Mainly, she'd use her sword to speak for her. He shivered. He didn't want to die.

"Riz, are you _absolutely sure_ we're going the right way?" he asked for what felt like the fiftieth time, "I've been watching the hills for over three miles. Where the hell are we?" Riz's face blanched, and Malik became increasingly aware that she didn't have that answer either.

"Well… not _absolutely_, but either way, eventually you'll be hitting _a_ city!" she said quickly, trying to remain as cheerful as possible. Malik didn't buy it. He stared at her flatly.

"Are you seriously telling me you have no idea where we are?" he asked her, and this time she had the decency to nod. He sighed. This was just typical. Next, they'd find Ryou's corpse in front of the Vector gates.

"Hey, think of it this way," Bakura said, and Malik had a distinct feeling he'd regret listening to anything dribbling out of the thief's mouth, "At least Sith's not up to bitch at you." Why he thought that was good, Malik didn't know. Sith might be the only reason they'd even get out alive, and she was nearly dead.

"Yeah, and she's not up to help us, either," the blonde mumbled irritably. Yugi stopped and looked up at him with a frown. As much as he didn't like Bakura being right, he didn't like Malik being angry, either. He glanced further ahead. And that's when he saw something that might vindicate Riz; there were figures moving up ahead. Human figures, or so Yugi hoped.

"What if we go over and ask those people where we are?" he suggested. Malik looked ahead as well. To him, it didn't look promising. Everything seemed warped and distorted from the heat. But he did see _something_ move. Walking ahead, the details slowly became clearer. There was a tent up ahead, at least one. He whistled.

"So there _are_ people. Go figure," Malik said with a shrug. Hoisting Sith up again, he led Yugi toward the tents. Indeed, what he saw was a camp sight. Despite the heat of the day, and the light of it, there was a campfire burning, and food was cooking. But something stopped Malik; something seemed oddly familiar with this, even though he had no idea what they were looking at. He saw three young men, all dressed in a similar fashion except for the feathers on their hats. Each one was a different color: purple, red, and then golden. Malik's brow rose. He didn't have a very clear view of European novels, but those couldn't have been the three Musketeers. He looked down at Yugi.

"Shouldn't we speak to them?" the smaller boy asked.

"I feel more like we should run the hell away," Malik replied, and crouched down so he wouldn't be seen. Yugi followed suit, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Why?" Yugi whispered, "What's wrong?" In just a matter of seconds, he received his answer as one of the men began to sing. Albeit, very, very poorly.

"Tally-ho! We are the Bards Three!" he sang to no one in particular, "Eric, Derek, and Jimmy D.! With one more to add to our three!" Malik's eyes widened. He couldn't exactly remember too much of what had transpired last year, but he _did_ remember those morons. They were the prime witnesses to when Sith had been shot in downtown Domino. And even though they didn't exactly help the case, it was hard to forget them. Mainly because they were dressed like medieval minstrels and acted as such.

"How the hell did they get here!?" Malik hissed, brows creased in agitation. But Yugi didn't answer. He was watching the scene intently. Another bard was speaking.

"Hail, brother!" the one named Eric said, distinguishable by his purple cap, "What ails you now? Surely you have the look of a mad cow!" Malik looked to see just who he was talking to. And he saw that Ryou was among them as well. His mouth nearly dropped; Ryou didn't look particularly happy to see the bards. Then again, he too had been part of the shooting as well. He crossed his arms.

"You promised to take me to Vector! Why aren't we there yet!?" the white-haired boy demanded hotly, "Do you or do you not know the way!?"

"I'm guessing they don't," Malik said, and walked over as Ryou turned to him, "Long time, Ryou. Did you cool down yet?" Ryou nodded firmly, but he neither smiled nor turned away. He glanced only minimally at Sith, who was still unconscious as she hung on Malik's back.

"For the most part," Ryou replied with a sigh, "These merry idiots are sure they know where Vector is, but they haven't even gotten me there." Malik wasn't surprised. He turned to the bards, and Eric looked to the one with the golden feather.

"Shall we show them, brothers?" he asked to both of the other bards. One shrugged.

"May as well. The city you see is toward the east. But go there, I would not, for it holds a great many beasts," the golden-feathered one named Derek said, "Hidden in the depths of machinery, they've nearly killed the three of us. Why should we take you there?"

"Because we're looking for someone who might've gone there," Ryou replied, "He's a blonde man, and he's wearing a leather coat. He's got a scar across his face. Did he go there?" The three bards exchanged glances, and Eric shook his head.

"Aye, no one by that description crossed our path," he said, and then darkly added, "Surely not, or he'll be slain by Rath." Ryou's eyes hardened, and Malik's jaw dropped again. Rath! She was the leader of the Mystics! Did that mean she was _here?_

"Did you just say _Rath_!?" Malik asked them in exasperation, "As in, the bitch who's causing this hell!?" Jimmy D. nodded slowly, and looked toward the east. In the very distant horizon, Ryou saw that it was growing dark. He had a feeling he knew why: the evil of the imperial city, no doubt.

"Aye. She's not here, but her followers are," the bard said grimly, and for once he was speaking without rhymes, "And they're out for blood. Seems as if the seal around Sith Winchester's powers was broken, and they're making their move before she awakens." Malik nodded distantly. That made sense. They hadn't heard a damn from Falnika since Mt. Koltz. And Sith hadn't received her powers back then. He turned to Ryou.

"If they kill her, then they'll probably have what they need to destroy our world as well as this one," he said, and Ryou nodded, "Vector's the best bet. Think we're ready?" Truthfully, Ryou was pretty sure they'd be killed quickly if Sith didn't wake up soon. But he didn't say that. Eric didn't give him that chance.

"Why would you go _there_!? Are you not _deaf_!? All that awaits you is a city of death!" Eric cried, "Those Mystics have taken it over and they're using the weapons inside!"

"To make matters worse, lady Sith is unconscious," Derek added, "A sad day indeed, for her power is legendary. But so too is the story behind that power." Ryou and Malik both turned to the bard. All three bards seemed particularly worried now; not one of them seemed concerned with trying to rhyme their words. Eric in particular seemed the most concerned with Sith. But it was Jimmy D. who spoke again.

"T'was a time ago, so long that not even she remembers. But _we_ do," he replied, "It's sung in the old songs in the world of Liedbar, where we come from. But that's another story for another time, good fellows. Before you can even begin to understand _that_, you'll have to face Rath's newest move."

"But what _is_ it!?" Ryou demanded, throwing his arms up, "Wasn't Falnika her next move!?"

"Oh no, good sir, not Falnika in the least," Eric said firmly, "This new opponent is a fierce beast. His name is Atma, or the Atma Weapon. Surely a legend in and of itself." Ryou didn't exactly get the significance of the name, but Bakura did. As did Yami. They both stared, and then at the same time, they exclaimed, "Atma!?"

"What is it?" Riz asked them both, "What's wrong?" Yami shivered, and turned away. Bakura, however, had the courage to answer. It wasn't that it was a scary answer; but it was an answer so ancient, that even he was surprised he remembered it. He had forgotten most of his life. But this had stuck. Probably because it was what nearly killed him, when he first saw it.

"Atma is an Esper, like Sith is," the old thief explained, and Ryou felt something close in around him, "But unlike Sith, he isn't _human_. Atma is a horrifying beast, an Esper created by gene splicing and mutation of DNA. It's said… that he alone can destroy every world in Oblivion."

"And you think it's _here!?_" Malik asked, gesturing toward where Vector lay, "In this dump of a world!?" Bakura nodded.

"Atma was hidden and sealed because of his immeasurable strength. Vector was built on the ruins of a corrupted portal into space. It was the perfect prison," Bakura replied, and looked at Sith, "Damn it to hell. Sith wouldn't even know about it, not if she can't remember anything about herself." Ryou looked down. Now seemed a pretty stupid time to be blaming all of this on Sith and Mello, and he found himself wishing he hadn't yelled at Sith like he'd done. Mello _knew_ this was happening. And like an idiot, Ryou only helped the Mystics. Finally, he looked up at the bards again. If he was going to right this, it wouldn't be by running.

"Take us to Vector," he said calmly, "Atma might be there to kill us, but he might help us, too. We have to take that risk. For Sith's sake." He didn't need to look to know Malik was smiling with approval. The three bards all looked at each other, and then they nodded. As much as _they_ were opposed to it, they had their own reasons for helping. Derek gave a sly grin.

"No problems, good sir. We do this for Sith," he said, and in a sort of mock salute, he added, "We'll take you to Vector, but why we don't know. But as soon as _you're_ in, _we're_ going to go." Ryou's eyes narrowed flatly. As much as he didn't appreciate the rhyming, he hated Derek's tone even more. This bard was up to something. Malik just swallowed hard, knowing the same thing as well. Why couldn't Sith wake up and just kill them!?

"That sounds promising," Malik said quietly. Ryou snorted. At that moment, even he began to think Mello might've been right in leaving Sith in their reckless hands. _She'd_ have known if the bards were even telling the truth. Mainly, she'd know by killing them first, and then finding out later. That did have some advantages. Sometimes.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After narrowly making it through the desert, Malik realizes that they aren't even close to Tzen. But in a good twist of fortune, they find the only people willing to take them to Vector. Unfortunately, it lies within the Bards Three, three thieves who serve only as comic relief to them. With three new allies in tow, will Ryou make it to Vector and find Mello? Will Sith wake up before Atma is unleashed? And will Atma be able to explain more about Sith's past? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	13. Imperial Fortresses and old Friends

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou threatening helpless bards. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they agree. They MADE a helpless bard.

The grasslands were easy to navigate through, as the three bards led Ryou, Yugi, and Malik due east, away from the coastline and the deserts and toward the imperial city. That part, Ryou found to be acceptable; getting lost seemed to be a good thing so far. For one thing, there didn't appear to be many monsters here. For another, it did give him time to think. What the bards had said, it didn't seem like Falnika was the real problem anymore. In fact, ever since Mt. Koltz, he barely seemed to really think of her. Sure, he mentioned her, but most of his worry was on Mello. Mello knew where the threat was, and Mello knew why Sith was involved in it. Mello was also the one who told him to watch Sith. That part, he didn't entirely mind too much.

But what he didn't like was the look of the sky when they came closer toward the city. Though it was quite a ways away, its influence on the environment was incredible; the grass began to dry out and wither, and the sky itself was darker, almost stormy in the horizon. It didn't particularly scare Ryou. At that point, he'd seen enough evil to know the signs that it held a high regard in a region or two. But that didn't mean he had to like it. And he had no intention to, either. All he wanted to focus on was getting through the city as soon as possible, hopefully with Sith alive and with Mello on their side.

"Okay, so we're heading toward death and we're not going to avoid that," he heard Malik saying to one of the bards, as they continued on, "You guys want to tell us what's left of the city? You said it was ransacked." Jimmy D. nodded, and for once, his normal merriment vanished. He stopped for a second and squinted as he tried to make out even a tiny outline of the vast empire they were heading toward.

"Aye, it was. Vector has weapons that not even Kratz would know of," the bard said seriously, distantly, "Two of them, we know of, are capable of destroying this world. One is Atma. The other is… the Light of Judgment. And while Atma is powerful, I actually fear that perhaps Falnika is using this light instead."

"Would she actually _use_ something that powerful?" Ishtar asked, sitting as he watched them all crossing the hills. Jimmy D. nodded; he didn't appear to notice the giant screen that depicted Ryou's living room. And if he did, he didn't care.

"It wouldn't surprise us. These Mystics… they never leave anything to chance," he replied, and stopped abruptly, "That may be why they're intent with eradicating lady Sith. She alone threatens their existence, and if she remembers her own past, she may come across something that would harm Rath." Malik's glance flickered to Ryou, and the boy caught it. They both understood now. If that was right, it was no wonder Amber's own attacks had been so jerky; she was growing desperate to see Sith die. Falnika only seemed to be taunting her, but maybe there was truth to her words to Sith.

"Bards," Ryou began, and all three of them turned to him, "What happened back then? What did Sith do? What does she know?" Eric looked down sadly.

"We don't _know_," the bard replied regretfully, "The problem is that it happened over three thousand years prior. No one would remember. Not unless they were with Sith when it happened." Ryou's immediate thought went to both Bakura and Yami. They'd have been around when she was alive, and it was clear at least Yami knew some level of who she was. But when he looked up at Bakura, the old thief already knew what he was thinking. And he frowned.

"You're asking us to remember something that happened _right before we died_," Bakura reminded Ryou firmly, crossing his arms, "It's possible we know what happened, but we don't remember either."

"But you don't deny knowing her," Ryou pointed out, and everyone fell silent. Then, after a moment, he said, "Bakura… you did, didn't you. That woman you told me about, the knight. That _was_ Sith, wasn't it?" The silence dragged on, and Bakura didn't do anything. He didn't blink, and he didn't nod or look away. But then his eyes flickered, and watered. And slowly, he did nod.

"Yes. It was her," he said slowly, "She does not know, and I don't intend to tell her. Not yet." Ryou said nothing, and it was a long moment before Bakura spoke again, "Ryou, she was my closest friend. Right now, so are you. But if Sith dies…" He didn't finish the sentence, and he didn't need to. Ryou understood. He nodded patiently, and his expression softened as he saw the pain on Bakura's face. Sith was the very friend he had been missing for three thousand years; it must've hurt when she didn't even recognize him. Now Ryou knew why he was overwhelmingly patient with her. Then again, he was most likely to argue with her, too.

Knowing that the only answer lay in Vector, Ryou led the way again, with the bards around him, and with Yugi and Malik taking the rear. After the revelation Bakura gave him, Ryou found it hard to even speak, so he let the silence come along as well. The journey seemed so short, with no one willing to say anything. Malik and Yugi must've been just as shocked as he was; they took turns carrying Sith, but they never once spoke of her health or her expression.

The coast was far behind them, and the hills began to decline to flat land when the city finally came into view. Ryou had to stop. Even from here, the structures were terrifying. The sky at that point was black, the clouds thick and gray above them, giving the metallic cranes and rusting iron a dark glow. It smelled thickly of rust and blood, and even from so far away, Ryou could hear the creaking of old hinges.

Inside the city, it was far worse. The cobbled streets were littered with corpses and stained with blood, and the rats and other vermin made it clear this was their new home now. Trash was heaped in various, sporadic piles, and the houses that dotted the streets were burned, many still standing, but some torched completely to nothing. The streetlamps flickered on and off, giving dim, often inadequate light to wander through this city, and Ryou understood now that this city wasn't just ransacked: it was utterly destroyed.

"Falnika… did she really do this?" Ryou whispered, as Malik put Sith on the ground gently, "My god… will we even find answers in this town!?"

"Vector not only holds the records for many of the Espers in Oblivion, but Sith Winchester in particular was an ally to the Imperial weapons development," Eric said grimly, "If there's any record of her, it would be inside the imperial base." Malik just turned, looking to see what would actually constitute an imperial base. He did see a stairway leading to a higher section of the city, but his guess was that they'd see the same thing as they were seeing now. He frowned. For that matter, the base might not even be there any longer.

"Imperial base, eh?" he repeated, raising a brow as he turned slightly toward the bards, "Any idea where the base would be?" The bards shrugged, but Malik didn't notice. Something moved in his peripheral vision, and when he glanced, he saw it was Sith. She seemed stiff as she tried to wake up. She managed to open one eye.

"…Sith?" Malik whispered, walking toward her and bending down, "Are you okay?"

"Mello… where is… Mello?" she asked, her voice sounding so coarse to Ryou, "Mello… did he…"

"He's fine, Sith," Ryou said gently, and Malik looked back at him warningly, "No, it's okay. Sith, he's in the Imperial base, I think. Do you know where that is?" Slowly, the older woman nodded. Her head pounded terribly.

"It… it's in Vector…" she said, holding her hand to her head to try and steady herself, "But… but why would he go there?" Malik and Ryou exchanged worried glances.

"Sith, we're in Vector," Ryou told her calmly, and she looked up at him seriously, "We made it. But Mello might be in trouble. The bards think that whatever we're looking for is in the Imperial base, but we don't know where that is. Do you?" Sith groaned a bit, as the pain in her head worsened. She wanted nothing more than to stab herself with Zealacht. But her friends needed her, and she needed Mello. She nodded and pointed to the stairwell Malik saw earlier. Now he saw that beside it was a burned tapestry of a symbol, most probably the Imperial insignia.

"Up there… go up there, and we'll find it," she told them with strain, "But… but why are we here? What about…"

"Sith, Mello needs you," Ryou said firmly, and Malik's brow rose with worry. Sith just blinked slowly, and Ryou continued, "I'm sorry, Sith. I'm sorry for what I said to you. But he needs you, and so do we. Please, help us." Sith stared at him for a long, hard minute. Her eyes never left his, and he could tell she was judging what he said to her. For once, he didn't care. This wasn't about him, and he knew that if he did care about her, he had to help her no matter what the outcome was. Even if it meant it wasn't involving him. She seemed to already know this.

"Help me up," she said to Malik, who obliged, "We're going to get that idiot out before he kills himself." Malik just snorted. Mello was crazy, and he was unreasonable, but he wasn't an idiot. At least, not to Malik. Then again, Malik knew he'd done some stupid things, too. Slowly, he hoisted Sith to her feet, and she turned a grim eye toward the tapestry. It had been fifty years since she came here last; the place, she saw, had changed for the worst.

"My guess is, Gestahl is dead," she said grimly, her frown setting deep, "Damn it. Entering the base will be quite difficult. I knew him when he was just starting as a commander." Yugi looked over at her as she spoke.

"Were you _in_ the imperial army?" he asked. She nodded grimly.

"Unfortunately, I was. Back then, it wasn't about hunting down the Espers. Back then, we wanted peace," she replied distantly, and shivered, "No… this didn't start happening until Kefka joined. If Falnika or Rath found this out or knew this in any way, they'd no doubt use it for their purposes."

"Which is to kill you and everyone you know," Ryou concluded, and Sith nodded, "But why? I don't get it, Sith. Whatever you did back then, it couldn't be this bad, could it?" Sith gave him a long glance, and her tail lashed quickly, striking the side of a house.

"I'm trained as a warrior, Ryou. Not only that, but I'm considered one of the strongest Espers in existence. There is a good chance whatever I did nearly destroyed _everything_," Sith stated seriously, and crossed her arms, "The problem is I don't remember. But Gestahl… he would." Everyone turned to her sharply, and she looked away for a moment.

"Why is that?" Malik asked her after a long moment. A rush of wind caught her hair, and Ryou found that suddenly, he didn't want to know the answer. It was as if the dark night itself wanted to conceal it; the lamp right behind them blew out.

"Because I _told_ him," she finally said, and Ryou's mouth dropped. Sith… told someone what happened!? Someone might actually know who she was! Someone might even tell her! But then again, if he was alive, why hadn't Gestahl looked for her when she vanished from this world? Mello did it, after all.

"Lady Sith?" one of the bards said, when the silence became too much, "What of us?" Sith turned to all three bards and looked at them critically. For a moment, she did not even seem to acknowledge that she had once known them. Then, she nodded.

"Go on," she said calmly, "You've done more than enough for us." Eric nodded, and with that, the bards turned and left the city through the broken gates. Sith watched them go until they were no longer in her sight. Then she turned back toward the higher ledges of the city. Her eyes hardened as she said, "Once we have what we need, it's best we never return here again."

"Sith, what happened to this place? How do you remember?" Yugi asked her, and faintly, Ryou heard a large bell chiming in the distance, as if it were a precursor to danger. He wasn't so sure it wasn't the gaming aspect of this world. Sith's lips thinned before she spoke again.

"As time goes on… my memories begin to return," she said slowly, and her eyes narrowed softly, "Mello is purposely reawakening them."

"But if he does that, won't that make this situation even worse?" Ryou reasoned, and frowned, "What's his plan?"

"Whatever it is, it's stupid," Malik mumbled, and when Sith glared, he said, "Look, Sith, I understand he misses you. But he's putting us all in danger because he wants you back to your old self! That's really stupid, especially since this could've been avoided." Sith's glare worsened, and before actually killing him with one thought, she stepped forward. Her lenses glinted in the dim, flickering candles, giving her a sinister appearance.

"They would have found me," she said gently, and walked away, "Eventually."

As Malik thought, the rest of the city was in just as much a shambles as the common quarters. But as Sith said, they didn't miss the Imperial base; it took up almost every part of the upper city, with the exception of two towers. And those towers, she explained, were Vector's security. But now, they were nothing more than rusted monoliths, crumbled with age and damage. And the Imperial base fared only slightly better. While the main structure still stood, Ryou could see it was barely doing so. Who knew what actually lurked in there.

But as usual, Sith had no fear of the place. She had been there before, hell, she'd even fought for the place at some point in her long life. Anything in there that'd try to kill her, she knew she could handle. Except for Atma, of course, but for whatever reason, not even _that_ caused fear in her. Was it because he was an Esper? Was it because _she_ was one? Or was it because Mello was in there? She didn't know, but she gave herself no time to ask about it. She just walked up the long stairway to the old, rusted double-doors. The sky crackled with lightning, but to her, it only illuminated the terror that Vector had become. The once beautiful empire she had come to respect, she knew was no more.

"Wow, this place is the pits," Malik commented, snapping her out of her thoughts. Sith turned to him, and nodded grimly, but she said nothing. What more could she add? She turned away again, looking instead at the fortress that loomed before them all. That was the pride of Vector. The pride of the Imperials.

"Do you think anyone's even alive?" Yugi asked, as lightning crashed through the sky again. Sith took a deep breath. Then she stepped up until she was right in front of the door.

"Atma is alive," she replied, and put her hand on the old doorknob. It creaked under her fingers, and the doors would not give at first. Then, they flew open, nearly taking Sith in with them.

"She acts like that's a good thing," Malik mumbled, but neither Ryou nor Yugi replied. To her, it might just be.

The inside of the Imperial fortress wasn't what Ryou had expected. In fact, it wasn't a fortress at all; it was a factory of some sort. All sorts of machinery, both old and new, littered all sides of the rooms. Chains and cranes hung from the ceiling in haphazard patterns, some swinging, some creaking, all throwing dark shadows across the room like some demonic dancing that was just on the edge of their realm. And to make matters much worse, there was little light; the only source of the godsend was the slit through the doors. There were no windows to see, and Ryou guessed none of the lights in there even worked. And because there were no windows, the air was stale and dry. Malik coughed.

"Dear Ra, what is this place?" he asked, and wrinkled his nose, "Smells worse than a thousand camels' asses!" Sith just snorted as she pushed a thick chain out of her path. It crashed into the wall with an earth-shattering slam.

"The Magi-Tek research facility," she replied grimly, and lit a fireball with which to see, "Or… it _was_." Now that she could see, Sith saw that shattered glass littered the floor, and beneath that glass were puddles of liquid. She didn't dare to assume they were water. She knew, and could even sense, they were something much different.

"Sith, I think you might just want to run away," Bakura offered seriously. Yami turned to him in surprise, but Sith wasn't the least bit thrown by his suggestion. She expected it. Just as he expected her to shake her head.

"I'm so close to what I once was," she said slowly, and frowned gently, "I can't run, Bakura. Not any longer. I've done my share, and it's time I get back what's mine." Bakura nodded with understanding, but in his mind, he'd have warped right out and left the world to rot. Then again, Sith wasn't him. And she never would be.

"What's she talking about?" Yugi asked, as Malik snorted and said, "Sounds like shit that Mello would say." Yami looked at them both, and gave them a cynical smile.

"It's a long, complicated, boring story to you, so we'll let Sith tell it when she learns it," the old spirit said, and Bakura just laughed. To him, that was so unlike Yami, and so like himself, that to hear the pharaoh say it was just priceless! He clapped Yami hard on the back, so much so that Yami nearly buckled over.

"So I guess we three _are_ more alike than we thought!" he laughed, and turned to Ishtar, "Say something deep and meaningful and maybe you'll join the ranks." Ishtar's eyes narrowed dully, and he did something so obscene, so offensive, that even Bakura's mouth dropped at it: he flipped Bakura off.

"Fuck you, and see you in hell, asshole," the youngest spirit said, and turned to Sith, "Okay, you'd better at least tell us the crap that'll help us." Once again, though, Sith's annoyance shone through. She grunted in dismay.

"You act like I can remember it," she pointed out flatly, "The very basic story is this: I remember _maybe_ fifty years into the past. Until Mello reawakens everything, or until the other Espers help me, I won't remember too much more. It's dependent almost entirely on Mello's ability to help Aeon."

"Can you at least tell us how to _get out of here?_" Malik asked her, raising a mildly amused brow. Her eyes went flat as she regarded him. Again, that meant she'd have to remember it, and she'd have to see, too. Right then, neither one of those would be happening.

"No," she said simply, and when she heard Bakura laugh, she continued, "Listen, if I had even a clue, I'd tell you. Right now, all I remember is that I knew Gestahl and he knows who I was. But I definitely don't remember how this all happened." Even though they couldn't see her, everyone had a good guess she was gesturing toward the room at large. Malik just regarded the broken vials and shattered glass with a raised brow.

"Looks to me like this place was blown up with a bomb," he reasoned simply. Sith looked ready to hit him over the head, but a movement behind him stopped her. She blinked, and when Malik noticed that she wasn't looking at _him,_ he turned to see what she did see. Whatever was behind him froze immediately; it looked like a young man.

"Uh…" he said blankly, and backed away a bit, "Shit. You guys weren't supposed to see me."

"And just who the hell are _you_!?" Bakura demanded, half amused, half furious with the would-be ambush. The young man blushed a bit and continued backing away. Except that Sith, with her newly regained powers, stopped him. By warping time. Which was something Ryou didn't remember her doing before.

"I think you'd better answer us before I kill you," she warned him calmly. The man blinked slowly as she held the fire toward him to see. Then, her mouth dropped a bit. He was not that much bigger than herself, and his eyes were hidden in a huge pair of goggles. Why… did that seem so damn familiar?

"Man, Mel was right. You haven't changed at _all_, Sith," the man said, holding his hands up in mock surrender, "It's me. Matt. You remember me, right?"

"No," Sith replied flatly, staring as if he were some psychopath she picked up on the street, "You know Mello?" Matt looked back at her, and considered just laughing right then and there. Except that he knew if he did, he'd be without a head shortly after. Wisely, he refrained.

"Yeah, and I know _you_, too. But I'll explain later," he told her, and grinned, grabbing her arm, "Come on. I have some cool shit to show you." Sith would've really rather not seen _anything_ Matt would want to show her, but she had to trust that Mello, if he even knew about this, knew what he was doing. Besides, Ryou and the others were right behind her.

Matt led them through the water-drenched room and down a narrow, winding stairway that took them to a sub-basement, where the air was thin and the temperature freezing. Here, the traces of magic were much stronger; even Yugi mentioned that he felt something in the air beginning to tear apart. Sith seemed acutely aware of this, for she couldn't just _feel_ magic, she also _smelled_ it, too. Matt seemed to be the only one who wasn't entranced by the feeling, for he kept walking without so much as a word. They went through a narrow corridor, past a large room with three cells, and into a huge chamber where many old machines, long since having been used, sat. Here, Matt stopped. And when the others entered, more than half of them were ready to die with terror. Those machines were easily twenty feet in height, and nearly as big in length, too.

"What _are_ those things!?" Ishtar asked, as Malik shivered at the sight of them. Dust covered their exteriors, and he could see cobwebs on the bottommost parts. Matt just beheld them with awe, and grinned when he saw Sith alongside him.

"These are Magi-Tek armors," he said proudly, "The pride and joy of Vector. You remember this part, don't you, Sith?" Sith wanted to promptly tell him to go jump off a cliff, but the mere fact that he had _anything_ to do with Mello kept her from pushing him off the cliff herself. Instead, she focused on the machine itself. It was a hulking, unattractive thing, with turrets and lasers coming out of its back. From the looks of it, it moved primarily on two enormous legs that were capable of crushing the life out of its victims. If shooting high-velocity laser blasts didn't do them in first.

"Is it really as dangerous as it looks?" Malik asked, eyes widened at the sight of the horrible iron monstrosity. Matt nodded, and the younger man said, "Cool! Physics, fun, and ballistics all in one!" Sith just snuck him a narrow glance.

"Jump in one of those and I'll blow it apart," she growled, "This isn't a game, Malik. Those things are capable of killing all of us." Never mind that this world technically _should_ have been a game.

"Yeah. These babies are what eventually led to this world's downfall," Matt said, and Sith turned to him with worry, "You didn't know? Falnika didn't cause this much devastation, Sith. I mean, she caused enough, but she utilized these things to do it. I hear they're going to export these to other worlds, too." Sith cursed angrily. If they did that, then the Mystics would have no trouble conquering Oblivion as a whole. No world she knew of even understood the basics of a Magi-Tek armor; they'd be hard-pressed to even lift a hand if Rath wielded one, or one thousand, of those.

"Should we try stealing these?" Yugi suggested, sensing Sith's dismay. Sith just looked down at him. At first, she was about to dismiss the notion. Then she actually thought of it. She knew how to pilot them, and chances are, so did Matt. Ryou and Yugi could easily learn, and Malik _might_ not kill himself in the process. She nodded.

"Might as well. If we're unlucky enough to meet Atma down here, being in one of these might keep us alive a little longer," the older woman said, and looked up at the screen, "I'm not sure what Falnika will do next, but keep an eye out for anything that might come through to our world. It's not impossible for Mystics to summon otherworldly creatures." Bakura nodded, remembering Amber's little tricks all too well, along with the subsequent damage caused to Domino from it.

"No worries on our part, Sith," he replied seriously. Sith nodded and gave a grim smile. It was nice to know Bakura was on her side. For once. She turned to Ryou.

"Not much to do except go on. You ready?" she asked. Ryou nodded.

"If ever a time, now's it," he replied. With that, they each climbed into one of the armors. Ryou found the controls easy enough; press one button, and the machine acted accordingly. Pull one lever, it moved accordingly to its direction. Not too hard to figure out. But what he didn't expect was the shock of movement. Every time his machine stomped forward, he was nearly thrown off. Yugi and Malik were similarly affected, too. But neither Sith nor Matt were, and Ryou learned to watch them. They were moving _with_ the machines. And that made the difference between riding in it, and fighting with it.

Ryou wasn't exactly sure what Vector was like, but seeing the underground of the Imperial base, of the research facility, made him glad Sith had left the place at all. It was no place for a human, and certainly not a place for an Esper. They had found many, many more broken testing tubes, and had seen tools hanging from the walls and the ceiling. Many had blood rusting the edges of the tools' blades, and Ryou cringed to even think of what they were. To even know that Sith might have shared the fate of many of these Espers was frightening enough; but to know she _supported_ the Empire… Ryou was beginning to have mixed feelings about her personal alignment. She appeared to be neither friend nor foe to her own race at large.

But for Sith Winchester, this was a nightmare of a memory. The more she saw, the more she remembered it. The tools… the other Espers… part of her wanted to justify what happened. _They_ were the ones who held her responsible for what happened so long ago. But _she_ hadn't been captured. She hadn't stayed with the others long enough to know that another Esper world had flourished. She hadn't known it was ransacked. Not until it was too late. But she knew nothing could justify what had become of Vector. That was why she left; Kefka had come to poison them all, and she no longer found interest in it. So then… why didn't she kill him? She shook her head. That part, she couldn't recall.

What could've stopped her? It was her _job_ to make sure men like Kefka were eradicated. Yet she let him live. Slowly, her eyes darted to Matt. She couldn't quite remember him, but maybe he knew what was going on. He knew Mello, and Mello seemed to know all about her. Did _Mello_ stop her? Or was it… another Esper?

"Sith, are you okay?" she heard Malik ask, and she stared at him blankly, "You're slowing down. What's wrong?"

"I'm thinking," she replied seriously, "I remember this place. I should've destroyed it when it was corrupted. Why didn't I?" Again, she looked at Matt as she spoke. The young man frowned.

"Don't look at me, and don't think it was Mello," he told her, "We met you _after_ the shit in Vector happened." Sith's glance went a little askew. Something wasn't right. Mainly, the fact that Vector hadn't changed too much, if that was the case. Kefka was still alive, and so was Terra, Celes, and all of the other main 'characters' of the supposed game they were in. If this was another real world, and she had left it just prior to what happened, then Vector shouldn't even technically exist except as a bunch of ruins. Why was everything still… the same?

"…Matt, what do you know about Vector?" she asked him suspiciously. He seemed to understand her question.

"According to what you told us, you left Vector when a man named Kefka poisoned the Empire with the notion to capture the other Espers," he said, and Sith's mouth dropped, "Yeah… are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Not only are we in another world, we're in the _same time_ as when I should have left," Sith concluded, and Matt nodded grimly. Neither one of them seemed particularly happy with this revelation. Yugi, Malik, and Ryou just stared at them both. None of them were particularly good with how time worked, but this had Aeon written on it; the man was a timekeeper, after all.

"Does this mean there's a _second_ Sith running around then?" Yugi asked. Malik moaned miserably. Living with just Sith was bad enough. Another one, and he'd want to commit suicide.

"God, I _hope_ that's not the case," Malik said pointedly. Sith snorted.

"You act as if we can meet myself. If we did that, it might just create a temporal paradox," she said to them, "I don't know much about how this world works, but if it isn't magic, then perhaps all worlds have a separate flow of time. Sort of like different countries, but on a much _larger_ scale."

"But we're talking years here, Sith," Bakura reminded her, and she looked up at the screen, "Technically, we're talking about time not even moving. Think that's possible?"

"The only one who'd know is Aeon," Sith said sadly, "I really don't think we traveled back in time. I'd have felt it. This feels different. Nothing feels wrong, and time's acting normally." Ryou nodded. Again, he had experience with time moving backwards, and again, he hadn't felt that experience either.

"Maybe you _did_ leave," Ryou said suddenly, and Sith looked at him critically, "Listen. Time might still be flowing here, and you might have already left. _But_, and this is a very big _but_, time might move very slowly here, and only a few short weeks since you left could've passed. A year or two at the most, but not much longer than that." Sith tapped her chin. That wasn't an impossible gap; Kefka did say he led the Empire, and Sith did remember leaving just before that. A year or two… that might also explain why everyone else looked the same, and why Vector itself hadn't collapsed fully yet. She grinned.

"It's a nice fit," she commented thoughtfully, "Okay, so at the very least, we don't need to fear a temporal paradox. That's… good, I think." But something in her tone clearly said it actually wasn't. Neither Ryou nor Malik were in a position to argue, either. They left the subject at that; Sith had some sorting out to do, anyway. All they could really do was focus onward, and get inside the base. Maybe that might actually clear up all of their new questions.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After the Bards Three lead them toward Vector, Ryou and his team make their way into the Magi-Tek Research Facility. Not only is Sith back for the fight, but now they've found yet another piece to her shrouded past: a young man named Matt. Armed with extensive knowledge of the M-Tek Armors, and with the ability to reawaken Sith's memory, can Matt lead our troupe into the Imperial Base, and will they find the weapon to beat Falnika? Or will Atma come to claim their lives? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	14. Mello is a Dumbass, too

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou fighting Atma. SquareSoft owns both Atma and Final Fantasy, and they don't care as long as Atma isn't smeared along the walls.

After an hour of searching through the research facility, Matt had managed to find just where they needed to go. It was, quite simply, a very large, long, seemingly endless shaft with old, rusted railroad tracks that never seemed to end, either. When he first showed them, Ryou wasn't too impressed. In fact, he kind of dismissed it at large. After all, Sith never even mentioned just how they'd be getting _into_ the base, and she'd have definitely complained if this had been that way. But when he looked back to see her reaction, she seemed to shrug it off, too.

Matt, unfortunately, was adamant. In the end, he convinced all of them, Sith included, into climbing into the shaft and storming through it on their armors. And they all found that, in a greasy, moldy tunnel with no light whatsoever, that was a scary thing to try and do. For one, the only source of light would be from Sith's fire spells. And for two, if she even tried using them, she'd set herself on fire. She had never taken chemistry, but she was four thousand; she knew grease and fire were about as attracted to each other as flies to shit.

The end result was simple. They traveled that disgusting shaft as far as they could, ignoring the splotching sounds and the drips of water as they walked. It was a sad, dismal journey, and Sith was quite satisfied to have just set the shaft on fire and create her own way in. The only problem had been Matt: he had gone in before she could set the place ablaze. And as annoying as he was, she kind of liked him, too.

"Relax, guys. We'll be there soon!" Matt kept promising. But after the third or fourth promise, even Yugi wanted to haul off and slam the red-head in the face, just to shut him up. Friend or not, no one liked being lied to.

Thankfully, though, the shaft ended after Matt's seventh promise of 'we'll be there soon.' Sith couldn't have been happier for it, either. Until, of course, she climbed _up_ the chute that ended the shaft. And when she had, she _did_ punch Matt. Right in his face, and she cracked both of his goggles in the process. Because where she had been led, she was horrified to see, was a bathroom. A very dirty, grungy, stinking shithole of a bathroom. And after recovering from slamming into the wall, Matt stood up and stared at her. A _normal_ human would've retaliated and sent her reeling. But Matt? He just laughed, walked over, and patted her on the back as if what she did was perfectly normal.

"It's just like home, isn't it?" he teased, and when Sith's look went flat, he said, "Aw, come on! You remember my apartment, don't you!? That hellhole was five times worse than this, and you still lived there!"

"That's probably because she didn't have the money to _ditch_ you," Malik retorted with a snort, and yelped when Ryou nudged him angrily. Sith shook her head in disbelief. No matter how shitty Matt's apartment had been, making a joke about this place was just asking for another smack in the face. But this was Matt. And he didn't take things like bantering and sarcasm too well. Mainly because he never actually cared about what anyone else thought. He shrugged.

"Nah, it's 'cause she loved me and Mel so much," he replied casually, as if that fact should've been known to Ryou and his friends, "If she ditched us, Kira might've killed her, and Mello would've gone absolutely ballistic. Trust me, you do _not_ want to be anywhere near him when he's mad." Ryou had enough personal experience to know that. And Sith wasn't amused by it, either. Her tail lashed.

"Matt," she said gently, and when he grinned and looked over at her, she stomped his foot and said, "_Shut up!_" His grin faded, but only because pain took over and sent any happiness he felt right down the drain. Malik just snorted again and shook his head, looking toward the closed stall door. Considering that they _were_ in a single stall, he was surprised they all fit in it. He'd have to fix that, because if Sith did decide to hit Matt again, he'd hit one of them as he went flying across the stall again.

"Can I open the door now, or are you two going to bicker like the old, married couple you were?" Malik asked, partly sarcastic, partly serious. Sith glared at him for a second. Matt, of course, grinned again as if that statement were as true as the sky was blue.

"Go ahead. I don't care," she grumbled. Malik looked at her for another second, and then shrugged, opening the stall door. And immediately, he regretted it. He looked out for just a second, and decided to close the door, turning and staring at Sith as though she was the one who sent them head-first into danger. She rose a brow, wondering what could've possibly scared him in a single second.

"We don't want to know what you saw, do we?" Ryou asked, but Malik didn't even react. His skin was white now. Bakura and Yami exchanged nervous looks.

"Malik, what's wrong?" Bakura asked firmly. Malik looked up, and finally managed to scream out what he had seen. It was so huge, so terrifying, so horribly powerful, that there was no mistaking what it was he'd seen out there.

"_ATMA WEAPON!!_" he screamed, and Sith's eyes widened. Without even considering the consequences of her next action, she threw open the door and ran out into the chamber beyond. And there the large, hulking beast stood, looking down at her with its fiery, red, glaring eyes. Its nails, half of which were covered in blue blood, clashed against the stone floor. If Ryou weren't terrified to speechlessness, he'd have screamed for Sith to run away.

"I am Atma," the beast growled, "For five thousand years, I have been sealed away. And now, little Esper, you will _DIE!_" Sith wasn't afraid. She took out Zealacht, and practically snorted as she considered her new opponent. He was easily almost ten times her size. But she had four thousand years _at least_ of battling experience. And _she_ was the one who instilled fear in the other Espers. Not _this_ beast. She had no reason to fear. But she did have reasons enough to be killed.

"T-that's Atma!?" Yugi asked, as Malik watched from behind the door and hissed, "What the hell is she doing!? It's going to slaughter her!"

"Go on and fight me as you would Bahamut," Sith said daringly, and held her sword in a defensive stance, "I am not afraid to die." Atma hesitated a moment, and then he roared. No. He was _the most powerful Esper_! This woman, this _child_, would die in mere seconds from just one blast of Mertron. If his anger didn't melt her instantly first. He slammed into the ground, baring his large fangs at her. She didn't even so much as wince as she saw saliva and bile dribble down to the floor.

"_You, little one, will die quickly for your insolence!_" Atma yelled, and his tail slammed into the stall, taking the door clean off its hinges. It also completely exposed Ryou and the others. Sith nodded toward Matt, and the red-head understood now what her plan actually was. He turned to Ryou.

"Come on!" he yelled, and grabbing Ryou's wrist, dragged the boy out and across the chamber as Sith leapt up and slashed at Atma in his muzzle. The hit connected; Ryou heard the splash of blue blood on the floor. He turned back to see, but all he caught was Malik and Yugi running right behind him. Sith was nowhere to be seen now. Chances were, she landed behind Atma. Turning to see what he was running toward, Ryou tried to struggle against Matt. But the older man's grip was strong.

"What about Sith!?" Ryou demanded, gasping when he realized how tired he was becoming. Matt didn't slow at all. He didn't even look back to see where Sith was.

"Sith'll be fine. She knows how to kill that thing," Matt said grimly, "And if not… then I guess Mello's going to have to deal with it." Ryou frowned. Mello wouldn't take Sith's death too well. Chances are, he'd blame Ryou for it, too. But Ryou had no time to ask any of that; Matt didn't even slow as they charged down another flight of stairs, and into the darkness of the sub-basement beyond.

Sith wasn't sure how she survived against Mertron. In the old legends, it was said Mertron was a forbidden spell, and that alone, it wiped out the far planes of Todesbereich and resulted in the festering undead in Todeswelt. It should've killed her. It should've reduced the base into a pile of stinking, rotting ash. Yet she survived, and apparently, so did the building. Sure, she had minor scratches and bruising, and one lens of her glasses was cracked, but she survived. And somehow, she knew she shouldn't have been too surprised.

Climbing out of the wreckage that protected her from the main assault of the blast, she stood up and looked around the room. It was dark; the spell blew out the candles and knocked the lights down around her. Eyes glowing, she saw that there was nothing in the room with her any longer. Wherever Atma was, he had left. Sith growled; she didn't have time for a coward. But when she walked forward, she winced in pain. Reaching toward her hip, she felt a shard of large metal. It lodged into her when she fell, she guessed.

"Damn it," she said, shaking her head and ripping the shard out with an earsplitting rip, "At least I can't die. Not until I settle the score with Bahamut. And with Rath." Throwing the metal aside, she strode out of the chamber, and into the dark hall that Ryou crossed just a short while before. All was silent, and Sith was aware that there was a stillness to the wind that wasn't natural. Slits of moonlight shone through the walls where gashes had been made, most likely by a pair of sharp claws. Very large, sharp claws, she saw as she looked. And she snorted.

"Where are you, Atma?" she asked with a sardonic smirk on her face. For once, the screen into Ryou's world was no longer behind her; she couldn't even ask Bakura where Atma had gone. But it no longer mattered. As she followed the path of the raked slits, she saw something glittering on the floor. It was a ring. And as she bent down, she saw it was Ryou's engagement ring; it had been crushed to pieces by something. And she knew what it was.

"…_NO!_" she screamed, and looked down the hall, "God damn it! He's gone after them!" She pocketed the ring and her glare worsened as she thought of what might happen to Ryou now. Behind her, she heard a laugh, and she turned just in time to see Mello jump down from the ceiling. And he was grinning.

"Relax a bit, babe. Ryou's fine," Mello said, and walked closer, shrugging, "Hey, don't believe me?"

"Atma is the most dangerous Esper among us! He's going to murder all of them, Matt and Ryou included!" Sith exclaimed in alarm, and then she suddenly stopped. And she stared at Mello very suspiciously. "Which begs the question of why you're not with him."

"Heh," Mello's grin widened, "Isn't that a good question?"

"What did you do, Mello?" Sith demanded firmly, her grip around Zealacht tightening, "I demand your answer!" Mello's grin looked feral for a moment. Then he relaxed when he saw she was serious about hurting him. He stopped just inches from her, and took her wrist before she actually struck at him.

"I did nothing, Sith. I just watched the whole thing transpire," he said gently, and with more vehemence, he added, "Including the fact that Ryou left you to die." Sith's eyes widened a bit in shock, and then her ears lowered. Ryou… left? He didn't even try to help her? No, that wasn't the Ryou she knew. She shook her head.

"Matt dragged him away," she reasoned, but Mello shook his head, even as she said, "Matt's stronger! Ryou wouldn't have been able to…"

"Wake up and realize the truth of the situation, Sith," Mello said, suddenly sounding not quiet so amused any longer as he stared at her, "Ryou left and didn't even try to fight Matt." Sith wanted to argue. She wanted to say that Ryou would never have done such a thing. He was just defending himself, and she was buying him time to do that! But… he left her behind. He left _her_ behind! Mello saw this, and frowned further as he said, "Truth hurts bad, doesn't it?"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him suddenly, and glared up at him, "Why are you doing this to me!? What have I done to you!?" Mello looked down. He wasn't trying to hurt her. He just wanted her to see where this was going to lead, later in life. Without warning, he grabbed her and hugged her, burying his face in her hair.

"Because if I don't, it's going to kick your ass later," he said, and let go of her, "And I can't let that happen." Sith stared at him critically. She couldn't even begin to understand what he was talking about. She _told_ Ryou to run away. But… wasn't there some small level of truth to Mello's words? When push came to shove, Ryou left most of the bad stuff to her. She could handle it, though. She was four thousand, for God's sake. He wasn't even nineteen yet. She looked down.

"Mello," she said slowly, taking long breaths to try and calm herself before she went berserk and hit him, "What do you mean? What's going to hurt me? Ryou?"

"He refers to us," came a gravelly voice, and Sith spun around. And her mouth dropped. Standing there, or more, lying in the doorway, was Atma again. But this time, he had no look of malice in his eyes. He looked amused as he studied Sith. At first, she was terrified. But the terror left quickly; she looked up at him with curiosity.

"Why would Espers want to harm me? I'm among you," she stated, and frowned, "I'd be more afraid of humans than I'd be of you." Mello actually laughed. Considering that Atma was some thirty feet tall, that was a bold thing for Sith to say. The Esper in question just snorted, eyes narrowing.

"There are many who would wish you dead, lady Sith," Atma told her, and looked at her with one large eye, "Humans included. Not all, but many of them do."

"But _why!?_" Sith demanded, and her sword flashed angrily, "What have I possibly done!? And why Ryou? Why does Mello insist on keeping me away!?" Mello was about to answer, but Atma was faster. The old Esper let out a weary sigh. If only Sith hadn't slashed his chains. He had more stamina, when he was kept imprisoned.

"Long ago, you severed the power of magic and split it into two opposing arts. Because of that, the Mystics have been able to flourish," Atma explained gently, "But do not think they are thankful. They are the 'evil' side of our magic, Sith, and they want revenge for what you've done. And as for Ryou…" Atma frowned, and said quietly, "He does not believe in you, not truly. He, in his own way, is keeping you bound here, unable to fulfill that which you know has to be done."

"That isn't true," Sith growled angrily, and looked away, "He's helped me destroy two of the Mystic lords already, he'll help me kill this one, too." Atma's expression softened. It wasn't often he saw an Esper in denial before. But Sith obviously wasn't handling this well.

"He will only go so far before he decides magic isn't worth it," the old Esper warned her, and she looked up at him quickly, "He is mortal, Sith. Humans… most humans, can never understand what it is about magic that is worth its incredible cost. They only see the death it can bring. Ryou is no exception." Sith looked down. She had nearly forgotten that he was only human. Perhaps she had taken his patience too far. But what could she have done? She hadn't asked to be pursued like this. In fact, she made it clear that if he wanted out, all he had to do was let _her_ go, too. But if that was so… why did this hurt so much?

"And so by staying with him, I can never reach my full potential unless I want to kill him," she concluded, and Atma nodded, "Then it's no surprise our marriage is at a standstill."

"That is _not_ your fault, Sith," Mello interjected, and Sith turned, "Ryou's the one who's pulling this bullcrap. It's true that you and I…" He stopped himself and let the sentence hang. Sith was glad he did; she couldn't hear that she actually loved him, once. For a moment, Mello looked as if he'd lose control. Then he straightened and said, "Ryou wasn't even thinking about your feelings when he proposed to you. You had just lost your power, and you were sure you would never see me again. Did he honestly think putting a wedding on you was the answer?"

"What do I do!?" Sith demanded in exasperation, and for once, there were tears in her eyes, "Damn it all, Mello. You told me to live my 'new' life, but now… what do I do?" Mello's eyes softened as he looked at her. In all honesty, he wasn't sure how to even answer. He had always done what he wanted. That was what led him to Sith in the first place; he never regretted a single move after that.

"What do you want to do, Sith?" he asked, "What is it you want?"

"…" Sith looked away again. She could not begin to even answer that; she hadn't actually thought about what she wanted. Slowly, she said, "I want to know who I am, and nothing more."

"Then you do that and nothing more," Mello said gently. Sith nodded, and glanced around them for a second. As much as the thought of doing whatever she wanted appealed, she realized that she couldn't very well just leave Ryou there. She took a breath and whistled lowly.

"We'll need to get out of this place first," she said casually, almost amused, "Any ideas?" Mello shook his head. This was his first time here, after all. But Atma, having been imprisoned for so long, knew the secrets and exits of the fortress. He provided a much better answer.

"There is a mine shaft none too far that should take you toward the interior of the Imperial palace and away from this factory," the old Esper said, "Lady Sith… I advise caution. The forces of darkness do gather and they seek to kill you and your allies." Sith just snorted. She had been through scores of hells and worlds full of monsters past. Darkness no longer scared her, and hadn't for centuries now. She patted Zealacht.

"I am not afraid," she said firmly, and turned to Mello, "Shall we?" He grinned, twirling his pistol.

"Babe, I thought you'd never ask," he replied, and clapped her shoulder as they set off down the hall. Atma watched them both leave. And then he let out a sigh. After so long, after so many years, he finally met the Esper Bahamut had spoken of. But… was she _really_ Sith Winchester? At first glance, he was quite sure the woman he had just spoken to was a child. Just who on earth _was_ she?

Mello knew where he was going. As Sith let him lead them down the hall, back toward where Matt and the others had run, she had to credit him that. He knew where they had to go, and without so much as a word, he had found it. It wasn't difficult at all. And that's partially what scared Sith as they descended a winding staircase toward a lower floor, perhaps the lowest floor of all. She couldn't see anything, but she knew enough. There was a very strong scent of earth and rust in the air. They must have found another way into the mining shafts that seemed to honeycomb underneath Vector's base. Just as Atma said.

The only thing was that no one else was in sight. Sith glanced at her watch. It had stopped working as soon as she was forced into this world, but she had guessed that not much time had passed at all; if it had, Mello would have said something. If only for Matt's sake. But as they began to trek down the passage, she saw clearly that it was as if no one had come down period. She should've seen their footprints in the ground. But the earth was undisturbed.

"Mello," she began very slowly, and he looked back at her, "Are you certain that Ryou is safe?" Mello nodded grimly. He didn't want to admit that fact, but it was truth and Sith deserved to hear it.

"As long as Matt isn't too arrogant, I'm sure they're fine," he replied, and frowned, "I'm much more worried about Aeon. If these Mystics find a way to harness his power, it's all over for you, Sith. They'll finally be able to erase you forever." Sith nodded, but said nothing. What could she possibly say? She technically couldn't blame them. If what Atma said was true, she was the reason they even existed. And their existence was seen only as a curse. Why _shouldn't_ she be blamed for it?

"I wish I remembered what happened then," she said after some time, and Mello looked at her again as they walked, "Mello, did I even talk about my past?"

"All I knew was that you had a brother and you were on the run from Bahamut," the blonde told her quietly, and let out a sigh, "You wouldn't talk much about it. I figured it must've been bad, and I didn't have a past either, so I never pushed."

"But Aeon knows," Sith concluded. Mello gave a firm nod.

"He'd have to. He's a time-keeper," he said, and snorted, "If you ask me, maybe that's why he was caught in the first place." Sith stopped for a moment, and stared. That had never occurred to her. Aeon may have known her, but he also knew Rath as well, then. Which meant he could prove that it _wasn't_ Sith's doing that caused the Mystic race; it could have very easily been Rath! And he could _tell Sith_ all of it, if he so chose. Her fists clenched. And she pushed past Mello.

"We have to tell Ryou," she said plainly, as Mello followed close behind, "Damn it, Mello, why didn't you tell me any of this earlier!?" She spun around to scold him, and he was more than prepared to take it. But as she opened her mouth, there was an explosion further down that shook the entire foundation of the shaft. Mello grabbed Sith as rocks and soil crumbled and fell to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, and eyed Sith suspiciously, "What did…"

"It wasn't me, idiot," Sith growled, "But I bet I know what it was." Mello watched for a long moment as Sith pushed him away and ran down the tracks. He had a feeling he knew what it was, too. And as much as he wanted Ryou dead, he knew that might just break Sith's resolve. He ran after her.

Sith quickly learned three things as she ran down the shaft, trying her best to find signs that Ryou wasn't currently lying in a corner, dead somewhere up ahead. The first, she learned, was that Vector would have collapsed in about two more years. The second was that Atma wasn't the only thing living in the ruins. As she ran, she was nearly pinned with a flying sickle that came from out of nowhere. A very large, throbbing, vein-covered purple sickle that had one blinking eye on it. Sith sidestepped, and heard Mello's gun go off about ten seconds later. Whatever that _thing_ was, it pinwheeled and reversed its direction, heading right back where it came from.

And the final thing she learned, as she ran out into a huge cavernous intersection, was that whatever was living here was mean as hell, and as huge as the cavern itself. Sith came screeching to a stop. Mello slammed into her a second later, and after rubbing his nose to help his new injury, he stared up at the hulking, massive _thing_ that was currently towering over them both. It looked almost humanoid, at one time long ago, but now it was a gigantic beast that easily threw both Mello and Sith into shivers; both of its equally massive arms ended in those throbbing sickles.

"What the fuck is that thing!?" Mello demanded, eye twitching as he loaded his pistol. Sith took out her sword. She wasn't sure how much damage they could actually do, but if Ryou was even close to them, she was going to ensure he'd be safe. She spat.

"Another toy for Falnika, no doubt," Sith replied, and grinned, "Let's go. _Blitzdonier!_" Aiming her sword like a conductor, Sith shot out three waves of lightning, each striking a different part of the monster's body. It roared, but the bolts seemed to simply bounce off its mound, slamming into the walls instead. Mello risked a glance to Sith. She was pale now.

"Losing your touch, babe?" he teased, and laughed as he shot every bullet his gun had. Unfortunately, he did even less damage than Sith had. All he did was piss the monster off. Its response was fairly straightforward and highly self-explanatory: it slammed its fist down on the ground between them, attempting to crush them. Sith and Mello dove toward the ground.

"Don't mistake my error for carelessness, Mello," she growled, "Do you remember our special, little attack?" Mello snorted, smirking at her.

"Do _you_?" he retorted. Sith's lips went flat, and he knew he was pushing his luck. They both stood, and Mello aimed his gun he had, making sure to load up six special shells in the process. As soon as his gun was ready, Sith leapt and landed atop it, and in a split second, she was gone again. Mello grinned, and unleashed five of the shells in a star pattern, as Sith came crashing down on the beast with Zealacht's full power. Rebounding back into the air, Sith snapped her finger and let loose a powerful blast of energy as Mello aimed his final shell.

In one blow, the monster went down. The end result was beautiful, like nothing Mello had ever seen in his life. Sith's fire spell was resilient; light spilled in all directions, revealing every crevice and cranny in the cavern. But what caught his attention to its fullest was the monster. It had been set like an oil-soaked match, and it burned into a massive fireball, spewing the very last of its life force before it finally died. Almost like a miniature sun, but within moments, the fire died entirely. Sith landed, watching it silently as Mello clapped and gave a harsh laugh. Their special move had been completed so harmoniously. He felt it was only indicative of the fact that Sith _should_ have been _his_.

"Think we trashed it?" he joked, knowing the answer too well. But Sith wasn't smiling. She was looking down the passage far ahead.

"What worries me is that it did not appear to have stopped Ryou's group in any way," she said distantly, as if Mello hadn't spoken, "Was it meant only to stop _us?_"

"Wouldn't put it past them. We _are_ looking for Aeon, and they want to stop _you_ for good," Mello reminded her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "The only way to do that seems to be to destroy you in the past." That brought no comfort to Sith. If that was true, Aeon really would be the very end of her. He could very easily get into the past, to where she had been, once. For that matter, was he actually her friend?

They followed the shaft due north. At least, Sith thought it was north; it'd been some time since she knew where they were going, and Aeon was the one who always had a good sense of direction. At the very least, she knew they were _inside_ the fortress now. The factory was well behind them, and so was the monster they killed. But the shaft, as far as she could see, stretched on for some time. Even with the distance they covered, it seemed to have no end.

"Where the hell could they have gone?" Mello asked, his voice bouncing down the empty corridor as he looked around, "There's one damn road, and they're not on it."

"Is there another way to get out of here?" Sith suggested. The walls, after all, were quite old. Any blast might cause the entire cavern to fall. But Mello shook his head.

"If there is, they sure hid it well," he remarked, and frowned, "But seriously, where could they be? I can't believe they'd have gotten so far." Sith hummed. That was a hard endeavor indeed. Then she remembered something: the Magi-Tek armors. They had been left somewhere in the mines, and if there was a way to retrieve them, she knew Matt would do it. And there _were_ tracks under them. If there had been a cart, Matt would've used that, too.

"They're up ahead, and that's good enough for now," Sith simply stated. But what worried her was just that. Falnika was possibly ahead as well, and only she had the power needed to give the woman a decent thrashing. Without another word, she continued on. And for a moment, Mello watched in mild confusion.

Eventually, the shaft ended. The trek had been grueling, and the worry had caused Sith to feel slightly ill by the time they made it, but within the hour, they had reached the end of the tracks. And literally, it ended at a cliff that separated the actual base from the factory. Sith just stared. There was a cart that had half-fallen off, tipped as it was, it was a miracle it still stood. But there was no Ryou anywhere in sight. That was not a good sign.

Walking over, Sith bent to examine the cart. Perhaps it was an old cart that hadn't been used for years now. But that wasn't the case. It _had_ been used, and it wasn't rusted over. It simply crashed into the scant rocks that tried to serve as a buffer for the damn contraption. Sith looked from the cart, to the chasm between her and the Imperial base. It was a long space – nearly seventy feet – but it wasn't impossible to get across. Anything with wings could've easily done it; anything with enough physical force and velocity could've probably cleared it, too. She glanced up at Mello, who was standing behind her.

"What do you make of this scene?" she asked him, and he laughed. Her tone said she already had a good guess as to what happened. He humored her anyway.

"Seems like shit Matt would attempt to clear," Mello replied with a shrug, "He's crazy. If he thought he had enough power to clear that gap, he'd do it even if it killed him." Sith's eyes narrowed.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said, and shook her head as she turned from Mello, to the chasm. Unfortunately for her, her wings hadn't grown back in yet. She couldn't fly across. Nor could they use the cart. It'd take way too long to get it back to a point where it _could_ vector the rocks. Ears lowering, she asked, "Now what?"

"Aw, babe, come _on!_" Mello complained, slapping his forehead, "You were in the _mafia!_ What the hell happened to all your improvising?"

"Twenty years is a long time, Mello," she mumbled, not appreciating the reminder. Mello, however, wasn't in the mood for her grumbling attitude. He walked over to the cart, and for a reason Sith just couldn't understand, kicked the rusted thing right over the edge. It fell with a terrifyingly loud crash; if Mello was hoping to make a ruckus, he magnificently succeeded. Sith stared blankly at him. Was he always this ridiculous?

"And what was the point of that?" she asked flatly, half of her not even wanting to know what the blonde could be up to. Mello just grinned.

"No one can follow us now. I have an idea, and we don't need that piece of shit to do it," he told her, and grabbed her hand, "How combustible are Espers?" Sith's eyes widened. She did _not_ like where this might be leading.

"Why the hell does that matter!?" she asked, as Mello dragged her to the edge and took out what looked like a very large, powerful rocket launcher, "W-what are you doing!? Stop!!" Mello, however, was never so easily convinced to abandon his ideas. He shook his head.

"Relax, babe. We'll be flying high in two seconds," Mello said, pulling her close, "Or we'll be burning. Either way, just sit back and enjoy my genius." Sith's eye twitched. And violently, she began to struggle. She didn't care how much danger Ryou in was. For the moment, she was inevitably in the most.

"Are you _crazy?!_ You're going to kill us! Let go!" she screamed, smacking him over the head, "Damn it, where did you get that, anyway!?"

"Don't you worry about technical bullshit. Just trust me," Mello replied with another mischievous grin. Sith was ready to lose it. In about twenty seconds, she was going to be deep-fried and burnt to a crisp. Silently, she wondered if Mello was immune to lightning bolts. Ten seconds passed, and she felt the sweat run down her face. The damn idiot was taking his sweet time unloading his new ballistic. Five seconds; maybe she could escape. But his grip was more powerful than she thought. Three seconds… two… one…

The explosion was unbelievable. As Sith and Mello soared through the air, all either could see were blasts of red and yellow, white and orange. And both were surprised that they lived through it; at the very least, Sith hadn't actually expected to make it. But they did, and it was over before Sith could even fully understand what had been done. They flew across the chasm, flew across the hundreds of pointy stalagmites that sprouted from the ground below, and landed with a crash on the other side. Rocks and gravel flew away in a flurry, and the whole time, Sith kept her eyes shut. When she finally opened them, she felt dazed.

"We… lived," she whispered, and then turned sharply to Mello, "I _cannot_ believe you just did that! What in hell was in your head!?" Mello looked down at her, acutely aware of her annoyance and enjoying every second of it regardless. He patted her back.

"Well, I do want to find Aeon before he's dead, so I did have that," he said jokingly, and then sobered as he added, "And I do have a score to settle with that Bakura brat you seem so attached to."

"Mello, don't do anything foolish," Sith warned, and when he rose a brow, she added, "I can kill you as easily as I can kill the Mystics. Don't tempt me." He frowned. Suddenly, what he said wasn't so funny in his mind anymore. Sith was serious.

"Why do you even care about him?" Mello asked her seriously, "Sith, he's not going to understand you. And he doesn't actually tolerate you."

"It isn't about that, Mello. If you had any responsibilities beyond what you wanted to do, you'd understand this," she replied gently, and walked forward, looking at the gaping hole in the far wall that had been made, "Come on. Our path's clear." Mello nodded, and followed her. But he found he didn't want to. Not this time.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After finding Atma in the channels along the factory, Sith takes it upon herself to lead him away from Ryou. And when she did, it's now up to Matt to get her friends out of danger. Can he succeed, and will Ryou accept him? Or has Sith's actions produced far worse effects than that? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	15. Freeing Aeon

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy 6, Death Note, or Castlevania. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, Ohba owns Death Note, and Konami owns Castlevania. Not one of them approves of such a wild mix of crossovers.

It was hard to accept that Sith might very well have been dead. Ryou found it nearly impossible to believe. But when Matt had insisted on going ahead, Ryou knew he had no reason to argue. Sith had gone to face Atma alone; there was a good chance that she hadn't lived through it. For as old and as powerful as she was, he knew Atma was far older and far more powerful. And Atma, as well as any Esper Sith had met, wanted her as dead as Rath did. Or so he thought.

As they walked down one long corridor, Ryou began to wonder if there was a chance Sith did live. He hadn't actually seen her die, after all. If she did, Falnika would have thrown the world in complete chaos by now. And she hadn't yet. Maybe Matt wasn't trying to make him believe Sith was dead. Maybe he was just trying to stall for time. He had Sith's last order, after all. And in Ryou's terror of the prior incident, he hadn't heard what that order was. Maybe Sith had a few more tricks up her sleeves. She always seemed to have those.

"So, where the hell are you taking us?" Ryou heard Malik ask, and winced when his voice bounced mercilessly down the corridor, expanding to many times past the decibel level he wanted. But it was a valid question. For all they knew, Matt was leading them to their deaths.

"It isn't obvious? I'm taking you guys out of this world," Matt replied without looking back, "Leave this shit to Sith and Mello. They can handle it."

"And we can't?" Ryou asked, and suddenly stopped. Matt did turn this time, and he didn't miss the animosity in Ryou's eyes. Eyes narrowed, Ryou said, "You think we're weak." Matt shrugged simply; it was as if this wasn't even worrying him.

"Actually, I think you're kind of stupid," the red-head stated, and when Ryou's brows creased, he added, "Look, kid, I like anyone stupid enough to pick a fight with Mello. But be realistic here. Do you even have any idea what you're up against?" Ryou was about to counter him, but he realized Matt was right. What _did_ he actually know about Rath? Not a hell of a lot, he had to admit. The only bits he knew were whatever Sith told him. And that wasn't much, either.

"Then tell us," Ryou said grimly. Matt just grinned. Obviously, he didn't want to live. Except that he knew Ryou was no threat.

"Why? So you can go and screw that up, too?" Matt retorted, and Ryou's mouth dropped, "You have any idea how messed up this is? Ryou, I hate to tell you this, but you just get in Sith's way. You don't help her as much as she says you do." Ryou's fists clenched and he felt his shoulders tremble. Who the hell did Matt think he was, to assume anything Sith said? Ryou turned away sharply, glaring at Malik and Yugi. They had the good sense to remain silent.

"We're leaving," Ryou said angrily, pushing past them back down the hall, "Let's get Sith and go. We're not doing this." Malik almost protested, but by that time, Ryou was too far ahead. Matt, however, wasn't ready to let him leave. He wasn't ready to let go of Sith.

"So you're seriously running away now?" Ryou heard Matt ask, "Man, that's pathetic. No wonder Mello hates you. Just how did you get Sith's attention?" That was pushing it too far. Ryou felt his blood boil; Matt just asked to die.

"_SHUT UP!_" Ryou screamed, turning and lunging toward the older man, taking his gun out. But Matt was prepared for him. He took out a gun of his own and shot a pellet to the ground. It exploded on contact, and a thick veil of smoke rose up out of the cracked capsule. Ryou stopped dead in his tracks; it was all he could do to breathe now.

"You want Sith so badly? Prepare to get your ass handed to you," Matt said from beyond the smoke, "'Cause you're going to have to fight me, Mello, _and_ Aeon before you even get your hands on her again." Ryou could only cough as a response. He had come way too close to Matt's attack, and the smoke was choking him. Malik was further behind, and he took Ryou's cue. He cracked his knuckles.

"Why?" Malik asked gravely, his voice going across the veil without difficulty, "What's going on with you three and Sith?"

"Why would you assholes even care?" Matt retorted. Ryou noticed there was a new level of fury to him that he hadn't sensed in Matt before. Before, the red-head had been calm, almost carefree. But now… it was as if Sith's death devastated Matt. No, it _did_ devastate him. Malik's grim visage softened.

"You… you love her," Malik said gently. Matt shook visibly.

"It was hard enough when she left Mel and I in the first place, you know?" he said, his voice cracking a bit, "We spent twenty years trying to find her, and what do we find? She's stuck in this shithole of a world, with some… some… _with YOU!_" He pointed directly at Ryou, and as the smoke fell away, Ryou saw rivulets of tears had fallen down his face. Ryou felt his insides quiver. How many enemies was he making?

"That's… that's not my fault," Ryou reasoned. But it sounded pathetic, in that moment, even to his own ears. Matt's arm lowered.

"Isn't it?" Matt asked him, and Ryou looked away, "We all tried to tell you to back off, Ryou. Sith isn't yours; she never was. You didn't listen to Aeon, and you definitely won't listen to Mello. So listen to me, instead." Ryou felt he should at least try to hear Matt out. He looked up. Matt looked half-destroyed already.

"You're going to stop the marriage," Ryou reasoned, and when Matt nodded, he asked, "What if I go through with it anyway?" Matt swallowed hard, and took out another gun. This one was a rifle, not unlike the one Mello so lovingly favored.

"Then I kill you right here and now," he said, and took his aim, "What's the choice, Ryou?" Ryou's eyes widened in fear. He was supposed to make that decision right then? How could Matt even ask that? He was about to speak – whatever he was going to say, he wasn't sure – when someone else entered the room. He turned quickly. It was Sith, with Mello right behind her. She held up her gloved hand; it was sparkling with silver.

"Do it, Matt, and I'll stop the bullet," she said seriously, "This bickering ends now. This isn't the time to kill each other." Matt frowned, and put the gun away as he walked over to meet her. He was about to pull her into a hug; he then thought better of it and simply smiled.

"You two get into any trouble while I was gone?" he joked, but Sith wasn't in the mood to play. She held up something Ryou couldn't quite see yet. It was a golden watch, though it was dented and cracked on one side.

"Aeon's here," she stated grimly, and pocketed the watch, "And he's injured. There was blood all over the watch, and I know him. He wouldn't give up the watch without a fight or two." Matt's grin faded. Blood meant only two things: either Aeon was close to being dead, or he had performed a spell requiring his blood. Right then, Matt wasn't sure which was true. He turned to Mello, but even the blonde nodded a grim affirmative.

"He doesn't have too much time left," Mello said darkly, and turned to Ryou, "As much as I'd love to see you dead, Aeon's much more important to me. You're lucky." Ryou growled angrily, but before he could protest, Mello turned to Sith and said, "Let's get going."

"And what about us?" Yugi asked. Sith looked down at him and smiled weakly. As much as she wanted them by her side, the going was only getting tougher, and they were ill-prepared to face it without her. Even with her, they had nearly died. She shook her head, and at Yugi's further protest, she put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I advise you three to stay behind and let us deal with Falnika from this point," she suggested firmly. Yugi looked down sadly; he wanted to see Sith blow the Mystics apart! And Ryou wasn't about to let her walk away like that. He walked over to her and shook his head violently when Mello took out his pistol.

"Sith, we're going with you!" the younger boy insisted, but Sith refused again, "Why not!? Aren't _we_ your friends!?"

"This is not about friendship, Ryou! This is about stopping two worlds from colliding and forming a temporal paradox!" Sith exclaimed heatedly, "That is what's going to happen, and you know this. Now, if you insist on this, _against my better judgment_, then so be it. But do _not_ expect sympathy from me!" And with that, she stormed ahead. Mello glared at Ryou for a second, and then he too stalked off after the Esper. Ryou could only watch. Something was severely changing inside of Sith. He just couldn't understand what it was.

The corridor Matt had led them through ended abruptly at a spiral staircase leading down into a depth of pure darkness. Not even Sith's moderate blaze spell could pierce it, and with only the glow of her sword to light the way, she had to carefully pick and direct their way to the bottom level. It was cold, to say the least. But it was cold enough to kill off all traces of rot in the upper levels of the base. That had to be a good thing.

But throughout all of it, Ryou noticed he was getting a consistently worse feeling about this place. Not just for the sheer blackness and lack of light or life, but for another reason as well: the stagnation of the base. It was as if it had been frozen in time, and even their existence couldn't break the establishment free of it. As though the place itself were clinging to the horrible state it had been condemned to. Ryou could only stare at the darkness as they continued down, finally hitting the stony ground and the frozen air. He couldn't even see if they were in a basement or not.

Sith didn't even stop to comment or explain, and quite frankly, that worried Ryou a little bit. Normally, she would have at least come up with a battle plan for them to follow. But something had drastically changed her. She wasn't even willing to speak to Ryou very much. And in a situation like this, Ryou knew he needed her voice to have the strength to keep believing in her. He had to remedy the situation.

"Sith, where does this lead?" he asked, his voice sounding too loud for his comfort. He heard Sith stop, but couldn't see if she looked back at him or not. But he guessed she was more than just a little annoyed with him. She didn't exactly want him there, after all.

"We're going to the holding cells underneath the base," she explained simply, monotonously, "If Aeon's been kidnapped, he'll be there."

"Are you sure!?" Malik asked in the darkness, "I mean, I don't want to go down and find that he's not there, Sith." He swore he heard a snort, but with no light and barely a sound, he could've made the noise up.

"Then you shouldn't have come period," she replied grimly, and started forward again. Ryou could hear her boots clacking on the stone. Silently, they all followed her, none knowing where they were going or if they were making any turns. All they had to aid them were the sounds of Sith's boots, and the occasional shifting of a loose rock or two.

Eventually, though, Ryou realized that as they went deeper into the dungeons, the darkness began to brighten slowly, so slowly. And eventually, he could make out red candles dotting the walls on either side of them, throwing off light that, while still dim, did provide enough to see with. But the downside to that was this: the hallway looked endless. Even Sith stopped to wonder just how far they'd have to go.

The answer was not far at all. Matt didn't stop, and he didn't want to. And he quickly found that he should have. Not even ten paces from Sith, he collided with what looked like an invisible wall, in the middle of what should've been an empty corridor. Ryou winced as he heard a loud crack; Matt very possibly just broke his nose.

"Okay, tell me we're not making this up," Malik said, walking over and putting a hand on hardened air, "Sith, what the hell is this?"

"An illusion. A mirrored wall," Sith stated grimly, walking over and touching it, "Only magic can dispel it, too. But… why put this here?"

"To hide whatever's on the other side," Yugi answered, and pressed his ear to the mirror, "There are voices in there." Sith blinked, and pressed her ear to the mirror as well. She did hear something, but she couldn't understand what was being said. Yugi looked up and whispered, "You hear that? They sound like they're in pain."

"I'd be pretty miserable if I were stuck with Falnika too," Malik commented, but Sith ignored him and backed away. She turned to Mello.

"There's no doubt that Aeon's in there," she told him, and he frowned, "We have to get in there."

"How will you break through the mirror?" Ryou asked her. Mello stared at him, and then took out his pistol and shot into the mirror. It shattered apart, glass raining on the floor in a magnificent spray. And in its place was a solid door. It had no keyhole or knob. Yugi looked at it curiously. It looked like something out of a story book.

"Now what?" he asked. Sith examined it carefully, too. It was a weak door; any spell she used would destroy it. She backed up a step, and raised both her hands, folding them against her chest.

"_Seirfreug!_" she cried out, and a searing blast of fire soared across the air, from her hands to the door. It lit like a match. In less than three seconds, it was nothing more than a pile of ash. Ryou could only stare. _That_ was the Sith he remembered too well; being able to destroy any obstacle was her forte. Mello just laughed heartily. She obviously carried that trait in every world she lived in.

"Lovely," he said calmly, warmly, "Now let's see you kill Falnika with it."

"If she shows herself again, I certainly will," Sith promised. And with that, she walked right through the doorway, into the dark room beyond.

The light from the candles ended abruptly outside of the room, so that Ryou could see nothing when he walked in. But he did hear the voices. They were muted, whispered as though afraid that their listening would harm them. What they said, Ryou couldn't make out. But for the moment, he felt glad he couldn't see them. They could, considering their circumstances, be nothing more but mutilated corpses with only speech to help them heal. The thought sent shivers up Ryou's spine as he walked alongside Sith. Carefully, he looked around.

"Where are we?" he asked, and winced at the echo in his voice. He heard many gasps in response, and deciding that Ryou officially blew their cover, Sith lit a spell so they could see. And there was Aeon right before her. He was chained to the wall, his normally elegant and pristine clothing stained and torn. His monocle was crushed, still clinging to his eye.

"Aeon!!" Sith called, running over and trying to undo his chains. But they were strong, and Sith couldn't break them. Aeon looked at her, his normally crisp and brilliant blue eyes looking faded and tired. He smiled weakly, trying to shift to get closer to her.

"S-sith… you've… you've come," he whispered, and Sith pulled on the chains even harder this time, "N-no… it's no use, Sith. She's made sure you can't free me." Sith let the chains go and stood back, looking at him through bleary, watered eyes. She had known Aeon for most of her life now; she had never seen him so beaten before, either physically or mentally. Falnika would pay so dearly for hurting Aeon. She'd make sure of it, personally.

"Aeon, I'm so sorry," she said, and this time she hugged him, "I didn't think Rath would try to use you. Forgive me." Aeon just closed his eyes, laying his head against her shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. He just had to hang on for a bit longer. She pulled away, and he motioned toward the other walls. Sith turned. Aeon wasn't the only one imprisoned. There were others who had been captured as well. And as Sith absorbed this, Aeon spoke.

"Rath is planning to revive the Light of Judgment to wipe Nesce out of existence, and sever the fabrics of time so you no longer exist, either now or in the past," Aeon told her gravely, and Sith nodded grimly, "She's already captured some of your past allies. She plans to sacrifice them to power this light." Sith's eyes narrowed. She'd have to stop that.

"But how will that end Sith's existence?" Malik asked skeptically. Aeon's mouth curled up sardonically. He looked smug.

"I will be the vessel for this light," he told them all, "With my power, I can easily warp time and erase eras of it."

"It would be little effort to control Aeon in his weakened state," Sith concluded worriedly, "And with his power, even less to find my own time zone and kill me as a child, when I had very little power." Ryou shivered again. Rath finally had a way to kill Sith once and for all, and she nearly succeeded in it. Aeon, he could see, was ready to break. As loyal and loving as he was towards Sith, he had taken too much abuse. The blood on his clothing showed it. As did the bruises. Ryou turned to Yugi and Malik.

"We have to get all of these people out of here," he said, and turned to Sith, "We can do that, right?"

"You're not doing it alone," she replied sternly, "Falnika expects me to come here. Aeon is the bait for it. But if she finds for a second that you're still helping me, she _will_ kill you. You've heard her words, Ryou." At that, Ryou had to admit Sith's worry for him was warranted. Falnika had said clearly that if he continued to help Sith, she'd have no choice but to eradicate him as well.

"We can't let this go on, Sith," he said gently, and shook, "Please, as a friend, let me help you. If Aeon dies…"

"…" Sith turned to Matt, and he looked at her curiously, "Go with them. Free everyone here, and take Aeon back to your world. Hide him. And please, protect Ryou and the others." Matt gave her a salute.

"No problem, Captain Crunch!" he exclaimed, and grinned as he walked over to Aeon, "All right, buddy. Let's get you out of here and back to Shithole Central." Aeon just snorted as Matt took out a toothpick and picked the locks to his chains. To Sith's amazement, the feat worked. Aeon was free. But he was still weakened. As Matt picked the man up, shifting him to keep him from falling, he had Ryou and Malik break the others free, as well. Many were unconscious, to which Mello said they'd leave as soon as they'd awaken. Some, however, retained enough life to see it through. And they quickly joined Matt's ranks, some carrying the others, most too weak to carry even themselves. But in five minutes, the room was nearly cleared. Matt said one last farewell to Sith, and then he and Ryou left, Malik and Yugi leading the refugees far ahead. That left Sith and Mello alone again.

"So," Mello began, as Sith took off her glasses to clean them, "We go in alone then?"

"I'd have liked to take Matt and Aeon, but I can't risk Aeon's health like that," Sith admitted regretfully, and such a look of sadness came across her that it cut into Mello's heart, "He… he would have died in less than three hours. If only I'd been faster!" Mello walked to her and brought her face up to look at him. Not for the first time, he was sympathetic to her.

"What could you have done, Sith?" he asked her, "You had to help Ryou Bakura."

"But… but Aeon… you and Aeon are in danger because I'm still alive," Sith replied, and looked away, "Whatever I've done, revenge is not enough for them. Only my demise will bring them peace." Mello let go of her and stepped back. What was coming out of her mouth was madness. Mystics didn't understand peace. They never would.

"Peace?" he repeated, and actually laughed, "Sith, there won't be peace in Oblivion if you're dead. Rath'll be free to destroy everything, and no one can put a stop to her."

"Why can't Bahamut!?" Sith suddenly demanded, and Mello stopped, "He is the Esper _god_. If I cannot stop Rath, why can't he?" Mello's mirth ceased at once. In the harsh, dim light of Sith's spell, his skin grew cold and pale. _If_ Sith couldn't stop Rath? That couldn't be an option; she _had_ to. She was the only one who could. Bahamut had no chance, not with a being impervious to his magic. Slowly, the seconds ticked between them before Mello spoke again.

"If you can't stop Rath, then the world will end," he said to her with such a definitive tone, she couldn't disbelieve him, "Zealacht may have been forged with Esper magic, but it has power of its own separate from yours, Sith. As its wielder, only you can kill Rath. And if you die, then no one else can stop her. Not without your sword." Sith looked down at her blade. Did she honestly wield that much power? Just who was she? She looked back up at Mello. He wasn't discouraged.

"Mello," she said, and she took a breath, "Let's go. If I'm the one who started this, then let's fulfill my terrible legacy." Mello nodded. And with that, they left the prison cell in its silent darkness.

Meanwhile, Matt, along with Ryou, Yugi, Malik, and a nearly unconscious Aeon continued down a narrow, cold corridor that ran opposite to where the prison chamber had been. With Aeon's last bit of strength, he had told the leader of the other team, Simon Belmont, how to get out of the castle, how to escape from Vector period. And that meant he had to give up his watch yet again. Stained with so much of his blood, he knew it would get them all home safely. And yet, he and Sith were still quite trapped in this world.

But that no longer mattered at the moment. What mattered was getting Aeon to safety. But finding that safety was more difficult. They couldn't simply escape, not with Sith and Mello still fighting to find Falnika. Besides, even if they could leave, Aeon wasn't strong enough to jump across the chasm. They'd have to leave him behind, which meant leaving him to die. And they couldn't do that.

The corridor, after a time, ended with a small room, with two staircases on either side leading to a balcony with a single door. At this, Matt stopped and set Aeon down to rest for a few moments. Ryou skidded to a halt as well, and looked up at the door. With Sith's returning power, his own had grown significantly as well. He could sense Falnika very clearly on the other side of the door. But where was Sith? Her energy was nowhere in sense-sight.

"Ryou, what's wrong?" Malik asked, stopping alongside him and looking up at the locked door. Ryou's eyes never left the frame.

"Falnika's really close," Ryou replied quietly, hesitantly, "But Sith isn't. How is it that we've found her faster than even Sith?"

"This _is_ her domain now," Matt reminded him, bending down to check Aeon's thin pulse, "If she wants to fight us, she can catch us without Sith around. That's why Sith doesn't want you escaping alone. She knows Falnika would ambush us." Ryou knew this, too. It wasn't beyond Mystic strategy, anyway. But the question was, why go after _them_ when Sith had no one but Mello? Were they that powerful together? Malik obviously didn't think so. He snickered and shook his head.

"Ambush us? I don't think so," he said confidently, "We have two gunmen, a swordsman, a monk – me, of course – and a time keeper. We'll blow her damn head off!"

"What a fine team we make indeed," Aeon coughed, "Your power is erratic, Yugi and Malik can barely fight, Matt is too busy caring for me, and I'm half dead. Oh yes, we'll definitely defeat Falnika!" Ryou didn't appreciate Aeon's sarcasm. He tapped his gun lightly. It wasn't a mundane one like Mello's; it spat plasma at enemies, not bullets.

"We have to try," Ryou reasoned, "Besides, how bad could it possibly go?" Malik stared at him. He wanted to say that they could have died, but he felt that should've been implied. From the door, however, a harsh laugh sounded. Ryou turned quickly.

"I could smear you all across the walls and drink your blood," Falnika said, appearing as the door swung open. With her hood down, Ryou saw that her skin was grey, her dark hair falling over her shoulders. One of her eyes, he saw, was slashed out and replaced with a lens of some sort. She did not look quite so evil to him.

"Falnika!" Yugi screamed, as Malik pointed up at her and asked, "What the hell do you want!? Sith isn't even here!"

"I'm not interested in killing Sith Winchester just yet," Falnika replied calmly, walking down the stairs, "No, I have other plans." Ryou aimed his gun at her, and she stopped, looking at him curiously.

"You're not fighting me," he growled. At this, Falnika just laughed.

"You?" she repeated, and smirked, "I've no use for you. It's that time keeper of yours that I want." Ryou's gun dropped and he glanced back at Aeon. That was right; Aeon held the key to ultimately killing Sith. And he wasn't strong enough to hold Falnika off. Ryou's gun flew up again as Falnika took another step.

"You're not getting Aeon, either," he replied. Falnika sighed. To her, this was a simple exchange. All she wanted was Aeon. Ryou had no business even being here. He was a simple accident, no longer of importance in the battle between Rath and Sith.

"You would risk yourself for a man trying to take Sith from you?" she asked him, and Ryou froze at that. If Aeon did live, Sith wouldn't stay in Ryou's world for much longer. But if he didn't, Sith might still leave anyway. Falnika must've guessed his plight, for she added, "You are not my enemy, Ryou Bakura. Don't make a foolish choice." Ryou's eyes narrowed. He knew the right thing was to save Aeon, to help Matt get him out. But then a new thought came to him: why should he? Falnika was right. They'd just take Sith away if he did. And that wasn't fair. But… Sith was the most important factor. _Sith_ should have mattered, and he knew she'd lose her mind if he gave Aeon up.

"I can't let you get him," he whispered, almost breaking that resolve. Falnika's expression softened a bit. But she was far from sympathetic.

"Think of Sith," she said, "Think of your wedding, Ryou. Don't you want to be happy?" Ryou's eyes widened, tearing up at the thought. Yes, he did want to be happy. But Sith wouldn't have been. Neither would anyone else. Not if he did what he truly wanted to do. He looked away. She was just trying to taunt him.

"You understand that if they live, Sith won't stay in your world?" Falnika tried a different approach. Ryou glared up at her. There was, unfortunately, a level of truth to her words. Sith wouldn't stay long. There's no way she'd want to. Malik must've sensed Ryou's plight. He shouted over Falnika's voice.

"Don't do it, Ryou!" he cried, snapping Ryou out of his momentary trance, "Don't you get it? If she gets Aeon, Sith's dead anyway! She's trying to trick you! Don't fall for it!"

"_ENOUGH!_" Falnika screamed, and turned sharply to face Malik, "When will you learn, foolish boy, that _you_ are no match for us!?" Without even a chant, she had sent a slash of wind crashing into Malik, and the young man went flying into the wall behind him. That was more than enough to get Ryou's perspective back. There was no way he'd let Falnika win. Not after harming Malik. He took aim and shot at her. A whirling blast of plasma knocked her clear off her step, and she crashed, falling down the stairs below her.

"We'll learn after Sith kills you," Ryou growled, and aimed again, "Don't make me shoot you. I want Sith to end your life." Falnika stood up. Her lens had cracked a bit, exposing a black socket where her eye should've been. But she was far from done yet. She laughed hysterically. And then she returned her pain threefold, toward everyone. Ryou screamed as he was sent back, slamming into the wall as Malik had. He heard crashes around him and knew everyone else suffered the same agony as well. And then he heard Falnika walking toward him. He expected to be killed.

And yet the hit didn't come. Falnika bent down to examine him. And she frowned.

"You have made an enemy today, Ryou Bakura. I warned you," she said stonily, and stood, looking toward the door, "Let us see now, if Sith Winchester can truly defeat me." Ryou understood that he wasn't the target. He understood Falnika wouldn't hurt him again. But Sith had no such luck. Both hers and Aeon's clocks continued to wind down. And then, they would die.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

While Sith and Mello search for Falnika, Matt's team has managed to find the mad Mystic within the entrance to the audience chamber. And they find no welcome there. But with Sith so close, will Falnika take her frustration out on Ryou, despite telling him he is not her enemy? Or will she simply kill Aeon and destroy Sith with his power? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	16. Sith vs Falnika: Round One

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy 6, Castlevania, or Death Note. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he told me to not kill Ryou. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they told me to kill him because he's weak. Ohba owns Death Note, and he doesn't want Matt to die. Konami owns Castlevania, and they don't care.

It had been some time since anyone had been able to see just what was happening to Ryou and his friends. It had been some time since they had been able to speak with Sith on the matter, as well. And though they couldn't see anything, Bakura and Yami both knew something very bad had happened. As if in forewarning, the sky had taken a dark turn, the thick, black clouds of evil blotting out the pale sunlight they had gotten just hours earlier. And though both spirits had battled evil before, this was no comforting sign.

Yami himself sat on the windowsill, watching the outside world silently. If he couldn't reach Sith, he had to at least keep watch over the household for her. Not that there was much he could do; Sith's absence in their world was taking its toll, and Yami was beginning to fade a bit. He turned to Bakura and said, "Anything?"

"Not a damn signal in the entire city!" Bakura exclaimed in frustration, crawling out from behind the television, "Whoever this Mystic is, she's destroyed the connection." He shuffled back to continue trying – what else was there to do? – as Ishtar came out with three beers for the spirits, and some soda for Riz. He set the tray down on the table and sat next to her, watching Bakura.

"No doubt that she's going to kill one of our friends," the youngest spirit growled in annoyance, "Question is, which one?"

"That's easy," Yami said with a wave of his hand, "It's either Sith or Ryou. They have no use for Yugi or Malik. But Ryou? He has some of her power." Bakura nodded, seeming to not have heard him. But on the inside, he was worried. Ryou did have Sith's power, even if it was just a small part of it. And he shouldn't have lived through its initial implant into his body. Even Sith had said this. If the Mystics wanted a way to control _Sith_, they'd use Ryou to do it.

"They won't hurt him," Bakura said, trying to sound confident, "Sith's too protective. She won't let them." Yami was inclined to agree, but Ishtar wasn't as convinced. As loyal as Sith was, she had her flaws. And when it came to her own survival, she had a tendency to forget about everyone else.

"I'm still worried," the blonde spirit stated, and took out the Millennium Rod, looking down at it, "We might be able to connect to Ryou. He still has the ring." Yami waved at him to tell him to try it. Bakura, however, came out and stopped Ishtar.

"Don't bother. I have the ring, not Ryou," the old thief told him, and growled, "I wish Sith had just kept that damned crystal. Right now, we need a fake item to talk to her with." Ishtar nodded sadly. This meant they had no idea how well their counterparts were doing, or if they were even alive. No, scratch that. If they were dead, the spirits would know it. Mainly because they'd fade into dust. He cursed. This was just too hard.

"Why don't I just crash through the shadow realm until I find her?" Ishtar suggested. Unfortunately, that was deemed a horrible idea for two reasons; if it worked, he might crash his way off a cliff or into a monster, and if it didn't, he'd trap himself for eternity. Even he had to admit that was a risk not worth it.

"Why don't we just wait for them to come back?" Riz suggested, and when Ishtar stared, she said, "Come on. Sith's an Esper. How bad can it possibly be?" The idea was crazy, but circumstances said they had no other choice. So without another word, the three spirits went back to their tasks. It felt so mundane, and entirely useless.

---

"Why did you follow me?" Sith asked him, as they stopped walking long enough for Mello to get his bearings straight. He looked back at her, his good eye gleaming pale blue in the red light. She continued with, "You understand you could die, right?"

"Death doesn't scare me, Sith. Besides, I'm not going back to my world again, so it's not like it's a huge loss," he replied, and smiled at her, "Besides, I said I love you. I'm going to make sure you get through this without too much damage." Sith looked down. She knew he'd keep that word. But what about Ryou?

"And what of Ryou?" she asked him. He understood the undertone of her question. He twirled his pistol and sheathed it.

"That's his decision. I'm not leaving until I win, though," he said confidently, and looked at her squarely, "Even if I have to crash his life to do it." Sith's eyes widened. She took the cracked ring out of her pocket, and he nodded at it. She understood perfectly.

"You plan to stop the wedding," she concluded, and when he grinned, she said, "A nice move. I'd never have thought of it. But what if _I_ stop _you?_"

"Think you could do that?" he retorted. Sith stared at him for a long, hard moment. She couldn't answer that. Truthfully, she didn't want to stop him. She didn't want to marry. She had said yes for Ryou's sake. That was her fault, though.

Without another word, she went past Mello and continued down the hall. The path they had taken seemed to loop around the locked chamber and then head south. Perhaps that was another way inside. It no longer mattered to her. Falnika, she sensed, was coming closer with each step. Falnika was ready to battle her. Falnika was going to die.

Another door came to greet Sith, but this one was unlocked. Sith slowed her pace to a step, and snuck toward the frame. Unlocked doors were never a good sign, and with Falnika close, any corner could hide an ambush. So she stuck to the shadows and peered inside. Indeed, the path had looped back around. But this time, Ryou had managed to take a wrong turn, somehow. For she saw him there. But he wasn't conscious. He had been hit with a spell, she knew. And Falnika was in the room as well. But she wasn't attacking him. This felt wrong.

"I grow tired of waiting like this," she said, seeming to speak to Ryou even though he wasn't awake, "To think that the only way to kill her is to destroy her timeline. To take such measures. It angers me. The little whelp deserves far less effort for what she's done." Sith growled. She had never hated a Mystic so much before. She barely felt Mello sneak up behind her. He was inches from her ear.

"What's going on?" he whispered. Sith smacked him, and he backed off, knowing he hadn't done a smart thing. Taking a breath, Sith let her power rise up, and then in a brilliant flash, she transformed. Mello watched with only adoration; he had seen this form only twice, and fell in love with it as much as he had with Sith's semi-human form. Now in her full Esper form, she was a terror to behold. She looked more werecat than human: fur had replaced her clothing, and her hair had turned stark white, hanging in spiky threads down her back. Her equally white fur was splashed with blue stripes, though her face remained human, as did her shoulders and chest. But now, well, Ryou wouldn't have recognized her.

With the speed of the creature she mocked, she sprang into the room. If Falnika wanted a fight, she would wage a bloody war with the wench.

"_Good evening, little pest_," Sith growled, landing in front of Falnika, and grinning like a madman all the while as she stood, brushing the dirt off her arms, "_Let's see how much effort you'll exude right now._" Falnika backed up a step. In all her years of knowing Sith, she had never seen this form before. Now, she was scared.

"Sith Winchester!?" she gasped, and smiled, "By the gods, you're in your second form. Your mother…"

"_My mother is of no concern to this_," Sith replied, her voice deepening, "_Fight me as you would Bahamut. Or are you a coward amidst my actual heritage?_" Falnika didn't dare to say that she was. She stepped back again. Even now, she could feel Sith's power ready to overwhelm her. Now she understood Rath's true worry. Sith wasn't just an Esper trapped in human form. She kept that part of herself purposely.

"I…" Sith gave Falnika no time to respond. Insulted by her previous words, as well as the remembrance of her own mother, Sith leapt up, covering the gap they had made in one swoop. Using her new bulk, she collided with Falnika in a body slam, and the Mystic was sent sprawling. Sith had landed gracefully, as a cat should.

"_Come and fight me!_" Sith challenged, charging again. Falnika rolled away, and Sith's charge went too strong. She flew across the room and barely stopped herself before blowing through the wall, exposing the outside of the base. It was raining heavily, but it was not the fresh water Sith was used to. It was ash. Falnika's fear began to grow.

"You've… you've let in the ash storm!!" she cried in anguish, and screamed as Sith lunged again, barely missing when Falnika rolled, "Stop!! You're going to kill everyone!"

"_Are you afraid?_" Sith asked, and positioned herself before Aeon. Right then, he was the only one who needed protection. Ryou still had some time. Falnika tried to get up; Sith smashed her back down with her tail.

"Damn it… I've pushed this too far," the Mystic mumbled, "The storm will kill us if I don't move this fight." She heard a chuckle in her mind. It wasn't her, and it wasn't Rath. It was Sith.

"_With the way things are heading, I'd be a fool to let you escape,_" Sith said reasonably, and bared her fangs, "_I guard the front, and Mello is waiting in the rear. The only place to go is in that storm, or in my claws._" Falnika's skin paled. She wanted to kill Sith as quickly as she felled Ryou. But she wasn't up against a naïve human. She was up against a very vengeful, very insane Esper.

"You're willing to kill Ryou?" she asked, and Sith tilted her head, "If I don't move, the storm will come in and kill the humans far before it kills us, Aeon included. Can you let that happen?" Sith's eyes turned to slits. For once, she was at a stalemate. But if she left Aeon unprotected… She shook her head. She had to prioritize.

"_You are out of options,_" Sith reasoned, and her tail flicked, "_Mello!_" Mello wasted no time. He came in, pistol branded, and shot every bullet he had, all aimed for Falnika. But the old Mystic was far faster; one snap of her fingers and all the bullets stopped. And then they turned, aiming back for Mello, but not quite moving just yet. She smiled.

"Do it, and I will kill your beloved," Falnika said. Sith planned for that, and sprung instantly. She didn't plan, however, for Falnika to reach behind her cloak and pull something out. And Sith was going too fast to stop herself.

"_S-STOP! FALNIKA!!_" Sith screamed, eyes widened in terror. Falnika looked up; a sinister grin spread across her grey face.

"You will recognize this," she said. And in that instant, she exploded.

The explosion was shocking, and it blew Sith back, where she crashed out the stained glass windows. But she did not scream. She didn't have that chance. In that instance, she had been blown apart, her soul fleeing for the safety of another world. Her own blood, blue like her coat, pooled underneath her. Falnika had done it. Sith Winchester was defeated.

But Mello was not. He had survived the blast, just as he had done twenty years previously. And this time, he _couldn't_ be killed, not with an explosion. As soon as the smoke cleared, he flew into the room, gun at the ready. But Falnika was gone, as was Sith. All that was left were Aeon and Matt. And the three idiots he didn't care for off to the side. He growled. Ryou was already stirring. Why couldn't the attack take him out?

"Ryou, get up," Mello said grimly, walking over with his eyes narrowed in frustration. Ryou moaned miserably, and then realized he could move. He sat up slowly, his eyes blurry from the storm as well as being knocked around. He blinked the ash and blur away.

"Where are we?" he asked quietly, unable to completely get his bearings straight. Mello wasn't one to show him sympathy. He shifted a bit.

"Sith's gone," the blonde replied, not actually answering Ryou. Nor did he want to. But that snapped Ryou out of his daze and back to reality. He quickly looked around to make sure Mello was right. And surely enough, Sith wasn't there. Perhaps the howling wind outside dragged her over the edge. Ryou frowned, turning back to Mello.

"Where is she?" Ryou asked sadly, and when Mello closed his eyes, he exclaimed, "Is she alive!?"

"I don't know," Mello replied solemnly, fists clenching, "Falnika blew herself up just to hurt Sith." Ryou tilted his head. That might have explained the broken walls. But there were other ways to harm Sith; why go to such an extreme measure?

"To hurt Sith?" Ryou repeated. Mello nodded, and looked out into the storm. The sky was red, the rain crimson from the burning ash around Vector. If Sith was alive, she wouldn't be for very long. The ash would poison her quickly.

"It was about twenty years ago that it happened," Mello began, his voice growing distant, "At least, twenty years in this world's time. It was a bad time for me, and Kira… he's a bad guy Sith and I were hunting at the time… was on my tail. I had to cover my tracks, and I… I…" He couldn't get the rest out. Not because of himself, but because of what it did to Sith. It took all he had just to find her again, and when he did, Sith was forced to leave him. His eyes narrowed bitterly as he recollected the tale. Ryou understood, even without the words.

"You killed yourself," Ryou concluded. A harsh smirk formed on Mello's face.

"In a sense, I did," he replied, "But not entirely. I survived the explosion. But it hurt Sith. She wasn't the same when I found her again. I… I'm not so sure I even blame her." Ryou couldn't help but feel bad. Mello was just as wounded by his own actions as Sith had been. Maybe that was why he couldn't let go of her. Maybe he was afraid that if he did, she'd never recover. Maybe his actions were noble.

"But… but Sith wasn't herself when Falnika exploded," Ryou argued, his brain still fuzzy with that detail, "I mean, she was her, but she wasn't… I mean, she looked…" Mello chuckled and stopped Ryou. He already knew what the boy was trying to get at.

"That's Sith's _divine form_," Mello explained with an odd smile, "Something to do with her mother's heritage. She's actually thrice as powerful in that form."

"T-thrice?!" Ryou exclaimed, eyes widened. Sith was already powerful to begin with. To be three times as strong!

"She can still be killed," Mello added, and Ryou's amazement faded instantly. At that, she probably had been. It had been some time, and they hadn't seen ear or tail of her. Sith never stayed down for too long. Ryou finally stood up. His legs felt weak and his arms were numb, but he could still walk. Calmly, slowly, he edged toward the broken cracks and the jagged walls. Stained glass had been shattered around there, and he saw patches of white fur. As well as strands of long, black hair.

"She went right through the window," Ryou whispered, and crept toward the opening, "Sith!!" Sith didn't respond. He had a feeling she wouldn't have, but it took a lot to stop her, let alone kill her. Behind him, he felt Mello run up as well. He also felt annoyance coming from the man.

"Damn it, quiet down!" Mello hissed angrily, "Falnika might still be here!" Ryou stared back at him for a moment, and then his look went flat. That one, he couldn't believe.

"Are you saying an explosion will kill Sith, but will leave a Mystic perfectly capable of attacking us?" he asked blandly. Mello normally would've laughed; nothing survived such a blast. But Rath and her cronies were a different bunch. He had learned that one a while ago.

"I'm saying to not be an idiot," the blonde responded, and looked outside, "Right now, we don't have proof that Falnika's alive, but we certainly don't know if Sith is, either. It's better to be cautious than to be dead." Ryou found he had to agree. As mean and cruel as Mello could be, he did understand this battle better than Ryou.

After making sure Matt and Aeon were safe, Mello went through the opening with Ryou by his side. The ash storm seemed to have subsided, but the winds hadn't, and the sky was still a bloody red as they descended the slopes and crests. The jagged outcroppings made it difficult for even Mello, but Ryou decided now was a good time to see how much of Sith's power he inherited. He found that he was able to crush some of the rock with a telekinetic force by clenching his fists, but not much more. That power, however, was useful nonetheless. He cleared a small path for them to descend.

The lower portion of Vector was more shielded from the ash, thanks in part to the many ruined walls and crumbled buildings that served as the city's proper. Ryou shivered as they came to this part; not only was it cold from the shadows thrown by the intimidating fortress, the ash had also gathered here, providing further barrages as they kicked it all up. It was also where Sith had landed, and her outstretched arm told them she had tried to keep herself from going over the crags. The bloody fingers told them she had failed, as well.

"Damn it," Mello said, bending down and picking her up, "God damn it all!"

"Is she alive?" Ryou asked, sliding down to about his level. Mello laid her across his lap and pressed against her neck. She was cold, but he felt a light pulse as well. She was alive. He nodded, but never took his eyes off of Sith.

"I think she'll survive if we get her out of this storm," the older man said, and he began to smile weakly as he watched her. Sith's nose scrunched a bit in irritation, but the movement was so slight that Ryou didn't even see it. He looked around for a promising place to keep her. But in a town like Vector, there was none. Not with a chance of Falnika still being there.

"Where can we go?" Ryou asked worriedly, as Mello picked Sith up again and slung her over one of his shoulders. Ryou turned, and his mouth dropped. In his mind, that looked too natural for Mello for his comfort. The damn asshole was even grinning, too.

"Well, Kefka's tower might be where Falnika's hiding right now. Certainly seems a good place if she wants to kill us," Mello reasoned with a chuckle, "But if we're looking to get our friends to safety, we might just want to stay put for a bit."

"What about Falnika?!" Ryou demanded in bewilderment. He was sure Mello had just said she might still be around. And now he was contradicting himself. If this was how he usually operated, it was no wonder he had to self-destruct to catch Kira, or Kyra, or whatever the hell its name was.

"Look, she might or might not be here, but we can't kill everyone else waiting for her," Mello said sharply, and looked down, "I'm trying to do the best I can. Why don't you try helping me for once." Ryou felt his anger rise. The insinuation that he was actually getting in the way made him want to hit Mello. _Mello_ was the one who always tried to kill _him_. Why did he suddenly get to be the hero now? Ryou turned back where they had come. With the crags still somewhat sharp, it was dangerous to carry Sith all the way back up there.

"How bad do you think the city is?" he asked. Judging by Mello's knowing glance, he had thought of the same thing. He gave a cynical smile.

"Dusty, but unless we shovel dirt in Sith's mouth, I think she'll make it," was the joking reply. Ryou snorted. Even unconscious, Sith would still put up a fight. But Mello had a good point. The city wouldn't have gotten hit too badly with ash.

"I'll take Sith down there, and you can go help the others," Ryou suggested. Unfortunately, Mello was too possessive. He glanced at Ryou flatly, as if that were the stupidest trick in the book. In his mind, it truly was.

"_I'll_ take Sith," Mello corrected, and pointed his chin to the cliffs above, "You go and get your little playmates and meet me in the center sector." With that, Mello walked off, picking a nice path amidst the rocks. Ryou just growled. He wanted to crush Mello's skull with one of those rocks.

Ryou hated having to listen to Mello. He hated that Sith wasn't up to stop him, and he hated that Falnika might still have been alive. Hell, he hated life in general, as he clambered over whatever remained of the rocks he had previously crushed. If he hadn't loved Sith at all, he'd have just left her; in that moment, he hated her, too. But in the end, the bonds he felt for his friends were what forced him to go up each and every one of those damned crags, to have his nails snap at a wrong grasp or miscalculated climb.

His efforts paid off in less time than he thought. Grasping the especially jagged edge of a collapsed column, Ryou pulled himself up and was awarded with the sight of the crumbled, broken wall he and Mello had run through a little less than an hour ago. Nothing had really changed, either. Everyone else was still unconscious, though Ryou was happy to see that Aeon was looking a bit more colored; his skin wasn't gray anymore.

For the moment, though, Ryou chose to ignore them. He had to find a way to get them all out of the fortress and down to the city, where Mello would hopefully be waiting. Walking into the hall, he found a rusted cart that had been previously overlooked. It was old, cracked from years of disuse, but it looked big enough to carry a few people in, provided that they were stashed just right. Personally, Ryou wasn't quite sure what scared him more: the fact that a cart just happened to be there, or the fact that he had no problems stuffing his friends into one. Deciding that both equally terrified him, Ryou wheeled the cart back into the room, and began pulling Yugi into it.

The trip back down the crags, however, proved to be much worse than the trip up. And while Ryou no longer cut his fingers on the spiky edges or the chipped surfaces, he was forced to go around many large rocks or craters created from his little dip into magic. It simply made the process that much slower. He couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Mello had taken Sith just to torment him. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time he'd done that, now that Ryou considered it.

"Why couldn't _he_ just push them around? _He's_ stronger than me!" Ryou complained, grunting with the effort needed to push the cart over a small lump in the ground. With four people lying in the cart, Ryou was surprised he could actually push it at all. But knowing he had that strength didn't make the trip any easier for him as he continued on with, "What the hell is he doing, anyway? It's not like Sith's going to _wake up_ anytime soon."

That's when a new thought crossed Ryou's mind, one he hadn't considered before. Maybe Mello _wasn't_ on Sith's side, after all. For all Ryou knew, the damn bastard might be killing her in her sleep! Or… maybe he was doing much, much worse. Ryou's blood froze. If that was the case, then maybe it was best he wasn't there to see it. No! He shouldn't have been glad! What the hell was _he_ thinking!?

"_OH MY GOD, SITH!!_" Ryou screamed, realizing that he may have ended her life by trusting in someone like Mello. In his mind, he wanted to be heroic, burst into the house Mello hid in, and kill Mello right then and there, thusly saving Sith from her would-be harm. But the cart, as well as its four-hundred-something cargo, slowed him down considerably so that he was forced to walk very slowly to where Sith could've been. Deciding that he couldn't let it end like that, he challenged Mello verbally, "_DON'T LAY A HAND ON HER OR I'LL SHOVE MATT OFF A CLIFF!_"

"Would you stop your yelling!? Falnika is going to hear you," Mello's furious hiss came, and he stepped out from behind a boulder, "Relax. I came back up because Sith was worried." Ryou's expression changed and he leaned on the cart to keep it from rolling off.

"She's… awake?" Ryou asked quietly. Mello nodded, twirling his pistol.

"She's perfectly fine. A few scratches and some blood loss, but she's all right," the blonde replied, and looked at the cart; Matt, Aeon, Malik, and Yugi had been shoved in, and all haphazardly as well. His brow rose in amusement. "Are you serious?"

"What else should I have done? Rolled them down the hills!?" Ryou demanded defensively. Mello couldn't help but laugh now. Ryou must've been in some rush to take such little care of their friends. He shook his head.

"If Sith saw this, she'd throw a fit," he replied, "Come on. She's already got an idea on where to go next." Ryou blinked a bit, wondering just how much damage Sith could take before she fell. Silently, he followed Mello, the cart rumbling as he pushed it along the rocky path.

It was past midnight by the time they reached the house Mello had hidden Sith in. A soft, cold drizzle began to fall, making Vector a slippery, stinking, muddy hole out of the pits of hell. The flickering streetlamps threw dangerous shadows across every road, and Mello began to run ahead, oftentimes leaving Ryou behind and wondering where to turn next. In a city like Vector, one wrong turn could get you killed. Ryou knew this just from Atma's appearance.

"Ryou, what the hell's taking you!?" Mello yelled above the rain, when Ryou had a particularly hard time turning a sharp corner to squeeze into an alley. The cart just barely fit, and as he heard a crunch, he realized Aeon's monocle had fallen off and had been crushed under one of the wheels.

"Why don't _you_ push this thing around for once!?" Ryou yelled back, as Mello slipped into one of the doors off to the side. He grunted, and when he came to the door, he practically broke the frame trying to fit the cart in.

The inside of the house surprised Ryou, when he finally managed to shove the cart through the door. The floor was well-kempt and nearly dirt free, and there were candles in the room. As far as he could see, however, the entire first floor was comprised of that single room; it was a large chamber with a staircase leading up in the center of the room. But aside from the stairs, there was very little to decorate the house. There were a few cabinets and an old table in the back, but aside from a mat on the floor, there was nothing else. And on the mat was Sith Winchester.

"Sith!" Ryou called, and let go of the cart, walking over. She looked up at him and smiled gently. In her hands was a cup of tea. Mello most probably brewed it for her.

"Hey, Ryou," she replied calmly, and coughed a bit, "Glad to see you survived." Ryou sat down next to her, concerned that her health might have been dropping since she'd woken up. Something in her voice sounded weaker. Maybe it was the ash storm.

"Yeah. All of us did," he replied, and frowned, "Sith, what happened!? Did we win?" Sith snorted and looked away for a moment, setting her tea down. Her ears lowered a little bit.

"No. Not yet, but we did significant damage to her," came the frustrated reply, "Or more, she did it to herself. But we'll have to face her once more before we can truly kill her for good." Ryou blinked, and the silence dragged for a few seconds. He glanced at Mello; he remembered what Mello said about Kefka's tower. Falnika must have fled there, if Sith was mentioning a final encounter.

"In Kefka's tower?" Ryou asked. He wasn't surprised when Sith nodded.

"In the game, the final battle is waged atop the tower. I wouldn't be surprised if it'll still be held there," she told him seriously, "The problem will be getting there, though. It's secluded, far from any city, and the only way to enter it is through the top."

"Which means we'll need an airship," Mello finished, and frowned, "If Aeon was up, we could ask him to head back to his place and grab one." Ryou pretended to ignore that. He couldn't see how that'd help them anyway. He turned back to Sith.

"Where do we go to get the airship?" he asked her. She hummed, trying to remember where. But airships were rare, even in a world where it was the prime travel arrangement. Not even she had flown in more than two of them in her life, and she was over four thousand. The best place to look would be a city with a lot of traffic across that world. And she knew where that would be, at least.

"The city of Nikeah is to the north. If we're going to get any information on airships, it'd be there," she replied at length, "At the very least, someone may know where to ask about one. Many ships come to port there." Ryou wasn't so sure he liked that. There was no city toward the north, at least none where they would be welcome right now, and the ocean separated them from one continent to the other. Figaro castle was the only way to get back. And that was a long way away.

"Are you up for the journey?" he asked her, acutely aware that she was still in critical condition. She snorted, and gave a cynical smirk.

"The only way I wouldn't be was if I was dead," she told him, and stood, "Come on. We'd better find a way to the coast before the others wake up." At this, she turned to Mello, "Watch them." He nodded, and leaned against the wall. As Sith walked toward the door, Ryou took one last glance around the house. He found he was concerned now; despite hating Mello, he didn't like the idea of leaving the man alone there. But Sith needed his help. With a nod from Mello, Ryou left. And without looking back at the house, he and Sith headed for the northern section of the city.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After forcing Falnika to damage herself severely, Mello enlists Ryou's help to getting Sith and the others to safety while they find a way to escape the corrupted capital. When Ryou heads back to the base to bring Malik and Yugi, Mello returns to tell him Sith is awake, and better yet, she's already figured out where to go next. But can Sith help bring them across an ocean? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	17. Attack of the Killer Rhobites

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Castlevania, or Final Fantasy. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't want Ryou fighting a Rhobite. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't want that either. Ohba owns Death Note, and he doesn't know what a rhobite is. Konami owns Castlevania, and Dracula killed all of the rhobites there.

Ryou wasn't sure where Sith was trying to lead him, but as they came through the denser parts of the capital, he began to see that even the fields beyond the city were beginning to decay. Though it was midnight and the sky was dark to begin with, it had nothing to do with the thick scent of musk in the air, and Sith could already see the shrouds of darkness that formed whenever evil was about. Ryou saw her reach for her blade. And he sighed. She had just come out of a coma; was she honestly going to fight _now?_

"Be on your guard," she warned him, "I do not like the looks of this." By now, this was a standard state to see anywhere they'd gone, in Ryou's mind. But Sith was worried, and he wasn't about to argue. He took out his gun and glanced about. The night hid whatever threat Sith was warning him against.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, his voice low as to not attract attention. Her ears twitched a bit.

"Do you feel that?" she asked instead, and Ryou closed his eyes to heighten his other senses. At first, he didn't feel anything. Then, he felt a pulling sensation, and a shudder up his spine. It grew cold, and he opened his eyes. Something felt vacuous, as though trying to suck the life out of everything at once. And it was more powerful than anything else he'd ever felt before.

"What is that?" he demanded, brows creasing in concentration, "Is it Oblivion?"

"I wouldn't think so," Sith replied seriously, and frowned as she looked up over the horizon, toward the north, "But I'm getting a bad feeling. Something is _here_, but I don't know where it's coming from. As if a great evil is attacking from all directions at once, but not actually harming anything in our sight." Ryou glanced back at her. That was an interesting description. But there must've been some truth to her words.

"Think you could hit whatever it is?" he joked. But Sith didn't get it. She shook her head.

"Definitely not. It's no physical being," she said, and suddenly, she screamed. Ryou backed away in horror, and saw Sith fall to her knees, clutching her arm. Without even knowing why, Ryou ducked for cover, and saw a bright blast of light cut across the air just inches from his head; it would have hit him if he still stood. He crawled to Sith, and pulled her to the ground with him as another blast cut across the air, this one hitting a tall structure within the capital. It crashed to the ground with a mighty thud, and the ground shook in tremors. Ryou waited several seconds before even beginning to ask.

"W-what was that!?" he cried, "Sith!?"

"The Light of Judgment," Sith whispered, half in awe, half in terror, "She's… she's gotten to it…" Ryou's eyes bulged. That was the terrible weapon the bards warned them of, and one even Sith was loathe to stop. And it was going to kill them all.

"What!? Now!? This quickly!?" Ryou exclaimed, unable to believe anyone moved so fast. Sith growled and nodded gravely. Obviously, she didn't believe it, either.

"I do not think we fought the 'real' Falnika back there," Sith explained angrily, her breathing ragged, "Rather, we've defeated a clone. A servant, no doubt. But I didn't think she would sacrifice herself. Not with so much more to gain from this world." Ryou stared. That made so little sense, and yet it explained the entire outcome of the battle in so many ways. That was why Mello wanted to leave. He knew Falnika was in two places at once. A clone would definitely explain why. Ryou shook his head. He wished he understood magic as well as Sith did.

"Sith," he began sternly, and she looked over at him, "Tell me honestly. What will happen now that she has the Light of Judgment? Can you still stop her?" Sith's lips thinned. Ryou knew that look too well. Sith was having her doubts.

"I cannot answer," she replied truthfully, and looked down, "The Light of Judgment is made entirely of crystallized magic. Condensed in such a form, it would be impossible for a mortal to stop it. As it stands, Aeon was powerless against her. I myself couldn't hurt the servant; she had to harm herself to do any damage." Her tone made Ryou shiver. She seemed convinced that this might be the end. But as Ryou looked up and realized the blasts hadn't come back, he understood they still had some time. Not a lot, but enough. He looked back at Sith. The best thing to do was to be calm.

"What do we do?" he asked her. She looked up with grave eyes. In the dark, they looked black, not green.

"We run," Sith replied, and Ryou saw that there was a light charging behind her, "Or we die." Ryou barely heard the last word, and after that, he heard nothing at all as the light brightened, blinding him until he felt himself crash onto the ground. He was only vaguely aware that he was screaming, and yet he heard none of it. But he felt everything, from the heat of the blast to the cracking of the ground underneath him. He felt shards of earth rise up and split apart, whisking around in the air, slicing the air around him. He felt life all around him just die, in a single second, and could not be sure if Sith was even alive or not. Had she been hit? She was right in the path of that bright light. And so was he, but he knew he had lived, somehow.

Then, all at once, Ryou heard the tumult of noise that had previously been silenced. It was a deafening roar, a conglomeration of screams and moans, of explosions and destruction, of the wind howling in defiance of the entire barrage. He heard the buildings in Vector fall, one by one, crushing the life of whatever they landed on or in. He heard the screams of far off victims, all of them being killed by that terrible light, and not one being able to save themselves. But worst of all was what he _felt_. Inside, he knew the world was being torn apart, and that soon, it would go on to breaking apart another world, and another, until every world in Oblivion was destroyed. He felt it in the very air, that the world was going to end soon.

And so, Ryou shut his eyes. He was already blinded, but he couldn't bear to see. He couldn't bear to see the rips in space, the warps of time, and the death of Sith right next to him, the one person who offered him even a shred of protection, and the one person he felt even remotely related to. He shut his eyes to the blinding light, to the screaming, to the pain. And calmly, he waited for the world to end.

But the world didn't end. Ryou waited, and waited for quite some time. How long, he didn't know, but eventually he found courage enough to open his eyes. And what he saw terrified him. No longer were they on the continent of Vector, nor were they in the plains Sith had led them to. Now, they were on a peninsula of nearly barren land, with only a bit of forest to offer the slightest bit of shelter. And as it stood, they were stranded on the coast of that peninsula. The ocean, once a sparkling blue, but turned purple with corruption, spread out before him.

"What… what happened?" he breathed, eyes wide with fear, "Where are we?" He looked down and saw Sith was unconscious again. But she had also survived the assault. He felt relieved, until he looked behind to see if anyone else had lived. There was no one else there. And Vector was no more.

"Malik!? Yugi?" Ryou called, and walked toward the forest, just a few steps, "Where is everyone?" He stopped, not wanting to get too far from Sith. Now he just felt insecure. Once again, he was alone, and he had no idea what happened or where he was. He felt his eyes water.

"You guys…" he whispered, and knelt, "I… can't believe it. Dead… all of them!" The truth was, he didn't believe it. It had all happened so suddenly. But that blast wasn't his imagination. He saw it destroy Vector. Even worse, he saw it hit Sith dead on. And he glanced at her again. Was she even breathing? He didn't know, and he didn't want to check. If she wasn't, that was the end of it. He stood. No, he couldn't let that be the end. They _had_ to be alive, and if they weren't, then they had to be remembered.

"I'll avenge you all, I promise," he said to no one, and looked down, "At least until I learn the truth."

"That's a good resolve to have. Personally, I didn't think you had it in you," someone behind him said, and Ryou turned. Sith _wasn't_ dead, after all. She was trying to raise her head, but the effort looked too much for her at the moment, and with a resigned sigh, she laid on the ground and looked at him. He stared back.

"Sith!?" he finally exclaimed, more in shock than anything else, "You're _alive?_"

"You sound so happy about it," she replied flatly, and Ryou blushed. He _was_ happy. He just didn't like being tricked or teased about it. But for the moment, that problem had to wait. Much more pressing matters had to be attended to. His expression hardened a bit.

"We have a few problems with getting to Nikeah," he told her, but if he meant to affect her, he hadn't. She didn't seem to be reacting at all, except to look around for a brief moment. She wasn't even surprised by what she saw: ocean and a whole lot of shit that shouldn't be there.

"So she's corrupted this entire world already," Sith said distantly, and her ears lowered sadly, "I suppose this means we'll be swimming there now."

"Sith, be serious!" Ryou scolded harshly, and she looked up at him. He was about to say more, but the look on her face was challenging. He wasn't quite sure what to say that wouldn't get him killed.

"I _am_ serious," she replied simply, and stood slowly, "We're stuck on an island, and we've no ship. Nor do we have time to craft one from the trees. We'll have to swim." Ryou's eyes widened a bit in disbelief. He had already found so many things wrong with that idea, the main one being sharks. Even with Sith's speed, her movement with a sword would be drastically slowed by the water. A shark would easily tear her arm off regardless of what she was.

"I'm not swimming, not with a bunch of monsters waiting to eat us," he said, and took her arm, "Come on. We'll find something." Sith yelped, but didn't protest as he dragged her toward the woods along the west side of the coast. Besides, she admitted silently that she wasn't really much of a swimmer anyway.

The woods were a peaceful place to be, after seeing the horrifying power of the Light of Judgment. Ryou just wished they weren't currently on a mission to save themselves so he could enjoy it. Every so often he's stop and look up, hoping to see a ray of moonlight or a patch of dark blue sky, but every time, he was disappointed. The corrupted world offered no such beauty any longer, and it made the woods seem sinister underneath a black sky. And every time, Sith would simply go on ahead. Ryou could tell she was getting annoyed. But at what, he couldn't distinguish.

They came to a small clearing after only a short distance, and it was there that Sith stopped. Ryou halted as well, and when he asked her what was wrong, her response was that she had heard something. To him, that could've meant anything, good or bad. But he didn't question it, because he understood that if she deemed it important, it usually was. Then, he actually did hear something. A rustling in the bushes next to him, and he turned, aiming his gun. Without hesitation, he shot a blast of plasma and burned the bush into ash. Along with the tiny creature that was hiding within it. Sith came over, and snorted.

"You killed a Rhobite," she said with a laugh, "Nice."

"Why is one _here_?" he asked her, and she tilted her head, "They're weak creatures. I didn't even think they existed near Vector." Sith frowned. She realized he was right; they were considered too low-leveled to be in such a dangerous place. Then again, they were hearty things, capable of adaptation.

"I don't know," she replied honestly, "Ouch!" She looked down, and saw one more had appeared and nipped her ankle. Brows creasing, she roasted it alive and let its corpse burn as she added, "But let me kill them anyway." She meant it to be a joke, but as Ryou looked and saw that there were more hiding around them, he was inclined to let it become serious. Sith saw them, too; immediately, she let loose another blast of fire. Already, she had killed over ten of them. Yet more kept coming.

"Where are they coming from!?" Ryou asked, taking his gun and frying any that Sith's spells happened to miss. Sith herself was becoming more and more exhausted as the battle continued. Each spell was draining her strength at an alarming rate. And the rhobite horde wasn't slowing. In fact, the more they slaughtered, the more seemed to replace them.

"From hell, for all we know," she growled, and Ryou saw her wings shake as she faced the innocent-looking rabbits, "You bastards want a fight? I'll wage you a fiery war. Now _DIE!_" To Ryou, it sounded like a typical villainous threat. Until, of course, Sith unleashed the biggest sea of fire he'd ever seen her use. It engulfed the trees and brush, searing them like the flimsiest of paper, lighting everything in its path with no effort. Ryou screeched, backing away to stand close to her. The fire, he knew, wouldn't harm her. But it was definitely going to kill everything else, and he twitched as he heard yips and hisses as the green rabbits were caught and seared alive, causing the hungry fire to roar in victory.

And when it was all said and done, nothing was left of the forest anymore. At least, not the section they were currently standing in. Sith's fire had branded the forest bare, and Ryou smelled cooking fur as he looked at the massive destruction. For moments, he stood staring. That was the true power of an Esper's spell. And with no effort, Sith used it. He looked back at her. She didn't even seem the least bit disturbed that she destroyed an entire ecosystem. She probably wasn't.

"Do you understand what overkill is?" he asked her sarcastically as she lowered her sword. She rose an amused brow. To her, he should've been thanking her for saving his ass again.

"At least those sons of bitches are dead," she replied casually, and snorted, "So, what was this idea of yours?" Ryou hummed, almost forgetting what she meant, until he realized he was the one who dragged her over to the field of death. He blushed a bit, understanding that if he told her he had no idea, he'd be adding to that pile quite easily. But with the distraction of those little nuisances, he truly had forgotten. It had something to do with escape…

A loud roar in the not-so-far distance caught both of their attention again. Ryou turned, and Sith drew Zealacht again, eyes narrowed as she tried to see where the noise came from. But in the dark, even her vision was limited. She was lucky if she saw the edges of the forest beyond. The roar sounded again, and this time, it was closer. Sith looked behind her; still nothing.

"What do you think it is?" Ryou asked quietly, taking his gun and silently loading it. Sith didn't answer. Whatever it was, it sounded much bigger than she, and right then, she didn't want to fight anything if she could avoid it. Then she felt the ground rumble, and she glanced down. Pebbles reverberated against tremors too light for her to actually feel, but she saw it nonetheless. And she _heard_ it, too. Something large, something very, very large, was storming toward them. Her ears twitched. And it caught a _whoosh_ just past her shoulder.

"_RUN!_" she screamed, turning and grabbing Ryou just as a gigantic, green monster of a hare slammed into the ground, roaring as it saw them flee before it. Ryou glanced back just once to see it. And he knew now why Sith was so terrified. That creature, whatever the hell it was, was easily four times his height, easily ten times his weight from the looks of it. A hulking, mutated beast, it was hare-like in appearance, with arms as thick as tree trunks, and a chest as broad as Atma's had been. But there would be no communicating with it, as Sith had done with Atma. This _thing_ was not made of magic.

"Sith, what's happening!?" he cried, as she dragged him and plunged right into the thickets. He yelped as branches and thorns cut at them, but it barely slowed Sith as she charged right through, going for what felt like the worst spots in the range. She must've been trying to slow the giant beast down.

But it did absolutely nothing. The hulking Rhobite gave a mighty cry and charged straight into the thicket, crushing and breaking every branch and plant in its path. Whereas Sith was forced to carefully pick and choose their path, the Rhobite was simply stomping through, and no amount of pain seemed to slow it. It gained on them too quickly.

"Sith, what do we do!?" Ryou exclaimed in horror, when he heard a tree collapse under the horrifying creature. Sith didn't answer. She looked back and cast a spell to see just how powerful it was. She wished she hadn't. She pulled Ryou even harder, and began to weave through the thickets even faster.

"I've never fought a Were-Rhobite before," she informed him, her breath becoming scarily ragged, "God damn it, where did it come from!?"

"Can you kill it?" Ryou asked her, as they climbed up over a fallen log. There was a ravine before them now, and Sith jumped in, dragging Ryou with her. Using her tail, she clasped a tree branch as they went over the side. It kept them from falling to their graves, and she brought them to a hidden niche in the cliff wall.

"I don't even know," she said, and shivered as she heard the beast's stomping steps directly above them, "Weres are tricky. Werewolves and were-panthers are not so rare, but to encounter a Were-Rhobite…" She shook her head, and peeked out as she saw the hulking, green shape jump over the edge, and land with a crash at the bottom. She turned back to Ryou, "Such abominations shouldn't exist." Ryou had to admit he fully agreed. Alongside Sith, he peeked out as well. The giant had definitely slammed into the earth, and had made a nice crater to prove it, too.

"So what do we do?" he asked her. Considering her years versus his, surely she _must've_ had to run from one of those monsters at some point. She hummed slowly, tapping her chin.

"Well, we _could_ just let it wander off and then swim, like I _wanted_ to," she finally said, and Ryou knew it was pointed, "I just want to know why it's here at all." Ryou's eyes narrowed. That reason should've been obvious.

"What would _you_ have done if all of _us_ had been roasted alive?" he asked flatly. Sith just stared at him for a long second. Now wasn't the time for 'what ifs,' in her mind. Besides, _if_ that ever happened, she'd just murder whoever did it and then kill anyone who might've seen it.

"Funny, but I meant _why is it alive?_ There are some worlds where Were-creatures were never introduced. This is one of them," she explained, and then another thought came to her, "Wait… Ryou, what is the biggest cause of mutation in your world?" Ryou's brow perked. That seemed like a random question, and why she thought he'd know was a mystery to him. He wasn't a chemist.

"Sith, I don't think…"

"Just tell me!" she demanded, and Ryou froze for a minute. Maybe the question wasn't as random as he thought. He took a minute to try and figure it out, but mutation was rare. And mostly unreported; who'd even want to know of it?

"I _believe_ it's from nuclear radiation," he replied, and was quick to add, "But I don't actually know. Why?"

"Because if there _is_ a way to create weres, and Falnika found it, we're eternally screwed," Sith said grimly, and Ryou's eyes widened, "A Were is basically a mutated variant of an existing creature with unnatural attributes, such as added strength or a 'glow.' If Falnika knows how to mutate it, or has figured out a way to, we'll be dealing with more than that hulking bastard." Ryou didn't like that, especially since the Rhobite looked strong enough to kill Sith in one hit. But how did Falnika do it?

"You think it was her?" he asked. Sith nodded, and he exclaimed, "How!?" Sith's smile became apparent, and Ryou got a flash of that powerful light. His worry heightened, and she nodded as if to confirm his thought.

"There must be radioactive substances within the Light," she answered darkly, "It certainly explains why everything is in ruins." Ryou now understood why Sith was so terrified of this weapon. Putting two and two together, along with what had previously happened, Rath would be set to conquer the entire universe and beyond that.

"And if she reports this finding to Rath, Rath will immediately have access," he concluded, and Sith nodded again.

"We must dispose of this mutant before she comes to see what's become of Vector," Sith said, and looked out again, "But I don't know what could be done. Normally, a were's magic defense is too high. They are the banes of all Espers, next to Mystics." Ryou's worry turned to unadulterated fear. Did this mean Sith wouldn't be fighting it? When he asked, she grinned and said, "I'll definitely fight it. I just need a good plan, first."

Ryou wasn't always sure what constituted a good plan or a bad one. He should've known where Sith's was heading when she had gone out, _in the open_, and right into the newly formed crater. At the moment, the monster was gone; it had left in wild pursuit and hadn't yet caught on that its prey was behind it now. But still, to Ryou, it now looked like Sith was going to try committing suicide. Her basic plan, if it could be called that, was this: she was going to lure the creature back to the crater, and it was _Ryou's_ job to finish the rest. Which was essentially to push a very large boulder – crafted by Sith's '_Grund-Hackmesser'_ spell, nonetheless – over the ledge, right on top of the Rhobite. And he wasn't confident just how likely she thought this'd work. For one thing, he wasn't that strong. How she even expected this of him was something he couldn't quite understand.

But he didn't complain regardless. She had said if anything went wrong, she'd fix it. But what that entailed, Ryou didn't know. All he knew was that Sith was trying really hard to dump something into the crater. Was it water? From this angle, he couldn't even see, but a crackling sound, as well as a thud or two, told him whatever it was wasn't a liquid.

"Sith, what are you doing!?" he called, half in wonder, half in terror. It wasn't often that he doubted Sith, but she'd been through a lot lately. It was possible her mind wasn't what it used to be. She looked up.

"Setting a very large rabbit trap," she replied simply, and shrugged, "I've seen it on your movies, anyway. Perhaps there's a level of truth to its design." Ryou felt himself twitch. Sith might have been in his world for some time, but some things she just never got. Movies were obviously one of them; to even believe that a _rabbit trap_ would work was certifiable insanity. But he didn't say that, because Ryou wanted to live.

"Want any help?" he offered. But Sith seemed to be doing all right on her own. She shook her head and continued pouring something into the pit. Ryou grumbled, and using his magic again, decided to see if there was a spell that could zoom in on her. There was, surprisingly enough. And he saw she was dumping a bunch of rocks into the pit. A bunch of useless, ordinary rocks.

Then he saw something else. After a minute, Sith stood back to examine the pit. It wasn't even half full, but for a hack job, she thought she did okay. Now was the final step: to burn it all to hell. Taking a breath, she closed her eyes and focused. It had been, as far as her weak memory could serve, perhaps twenty six years since she last summoned her own beast. Did she still have the strength for it?

"_Aered der Wind, beherzigen mich_!" she cried, and Ryou winced at her accent. Sometimes, it was so much more apparent than others. But he didn't dwell on it for long; already, he felt the magic rushing around and solidifying near Sith. Whatever she was doing, it was working very quickly. Then Ryou heard an ear-splitting roar, and out of nowhere was a giant wyvern. Ryou shook visibly. Sith summoned it! But before he could call out, the wyvern reared back and spat a searing jet of fire. It ran right into the rocks, and at the same time, Sith unleashed her own destructive inferno. Both fires berated the rocks, and Ryou saw, with his spell, that the rocks were _melting_. Was this, Sith's plan?

"_Nur ein bißchen länger, mein Freund. Dann sind Sie gehen können_," Sith spoke again. The wyvern nodded its head and kept the flame strong. The rocks were now a pool of red-hot lava. And in a minute more, the wyvern began to fade and then disappear. Sith was left alone, but Ryou felt one last blast of magic. But it hadn't exactly come from Sith. It came _from_ her vicinity, but it hadn't been cast by her. And a second later, she was back on the ledge with him. He blinked. Had all of that really even happened?

"Sith?" he prompted. She laughed, and took out Aeon's watch. There was still some blood on it, but it worked. Had Aeon repaired it earlier? Or had someone else?

"Mello did it," Sith said without his asking, "And handed it to me to use. These time lords are pretty good. I can actually keep the lava from cooling now." Ryou's skepticism became so much more clear now. He eyed the watch, and then looked at her.

"Which begs how you made it at all," he said suspiciously, "Sith, magma takes thousands of years to create." She grinned mischievously and held the watch higher.

"I've sped the fire's lifespan and the rock's melting point up a bit," she admitted, "And then halted the lava to prevent cooling. Aeon wouldn't be too proud, but I am." Ryou had to laugh. Sith didn't have normal access to time magic, so this must've been absolutely amazing for her. He shook his head. That was quite an explanation.

"Now what?" he asked, wanting to know the rest of her bizarre little plan. She smiled again, and went to the edge of the cliff again.

"Now you watch as I make that son of a bitch appear," she replied, and hopped right off. Ryou watched with wide eyes, wondering just what suicidal move she'd use now.

He didn't have to wait too long. As soon as Sith landed, the small stumps that had once been her wings burst open. And when they did, a fluid that wasn't exactly blood spilled out upon the ground, letting loose a very sweet smell. Ryou backed away. Whatever this was, he knew it might drive him insane. He also knew Sith probably put herself in pain to do that; her wings weren't ready to open up like that. But they did, and she was trying to flutter them, possibly to scatter more of that sickly liquid. _That_ was what attracted the Rhobite, and Ryou heard it grunt in wonder, and then he heard its stomping footsteps, with trees and rocks alike crackling underneath it.

Sith saw the monster long before it even reached the crater, but in order to keep its interest, she was forced to stay at the edge until the very end. As soon as _it_ saw _her_, its fury came back and it came charging through like a mad, soulless brute, and it barely caught on when Ryou saw Sith suddenly disappear from sight. He blinked, and realized it was his cue to do his part. The monster screamed as it skidded and slid right off the edge of the crater, into the lava. Ryou instantly smelled cooking meat and burning fur, and knew he had to act before the creature escaped. Sith did say its defense was outrageous.

But the boulder was heavier than he thought, and he found moving it was impossible. Even with magic, it barely budged. His power, no matter how strong, would never rival Sith's. And she used magic to _create_ this stone. He dared to look down; the beast was already trying to climb out the edge, though the poor thing's bones were beginning to show as more of its fur and skin burned off. If he didn't move, Sith's plan would go to hell.

Luckily, he didn't have to do anything. Sith reappeared right next to him, holding Aeon's watch. That explained her sudden disappearance. He stepped aside to let her through, and she stopped right at the boulder, raising her hand. Ryou felt a sort of pressure wash over him.

"_Zwheikraff_," she said, and Ryou ducked as he felt a sonic blast so powerful that it pushed the boulder with no difficulty. It fell down… and landed with a horrific _crack_ right on top of the beast. The resulting roar of agony split through the night sky, but it faded as rapidly as it came. And when Ryou edged closer and looked down, he saw the boulder had crashed right on the crater, covering it completely. Lava oozed from underneath.

"Is it… dead?" he whispered, concerned that any loud noise might make the beast spring back to life. Sith just smiled.

"If it isn't, it will be," she replied, and pocketed Aeon's watch, "So, ready to get going?" Ryou stared at her. They just killed a _were-monster_ and she wasn't the least bit weary for it. Not to mention they were still stranded on the island. He looked out toward the ocean.

"And _where_ are we going to go!?" he blurted out. Sith blinked dully for a moment. Didn't he _see_ her wings? Sure, they weren't big and they were still damp, but she should be strong enough to get them across the ocean. _Should_ be, anyway.

"I'm going to try flying for once," she told him, "It's about time I learned how." Ryou's mouth dropped. She _hadn't_ flown before!? And _now_, when they were in danger, stranded, and thousands of miles from _ANYTHING_, was the best time to try it!? Sith really had lost it. That last blow to her head shook more than Ryou wanted to admit. Whatever Mello did to help her out earlier, it really hadn't worked well. Any sane human… no, any sane _person_, would never have tried _flying on newly hatched wings_.

"Sith, no!" Ryou protested, but Sith grabbed his wrist and jumped up, "_SITH!!!_" She flapped her wings, and while the dampness still weighed her down, she was airborne and climbing higher with each wing flap. In two minutes, she was above the cliff, and in three, she was over the ocean.

The ocean was beautiful. In the moonlight, it sparkled silver and the current was calm. But underneath that calm was the knowledge that the water was tainted; amidst the silver, Sith could see the purple tint in the water, and could smell the poison in it. Falnika was doing a good job of tearing this world up. Sith feared for how their world was faring. But as she flew, she didn't speak of it. Mainly because there was no one to speak to. Ryou had fallen limp, the sheer terror of flight causing him to lose consciousness. And perhaps that was for the best. Sith needed time to think.

"So then," she said quietly, to herself, looking down into the water as she continued north, "Her conquest _is_ beginning again. How do I even begin to stop it?" She had no idea what might lay ahead to the north, but that was their original plan, so she followed it. She just hoped that it led to _somewhere_. Ryou couldn't live off of nothing, and her wings were new. She could only remain in the air for so long before her body gave out.

"Mello," she said calmly, looking toward wherever it was she was heading, "Please, be alive." Giving her wings another powerful flap, Sith flew up a few more feet. Altitude would be good to dry her wings off. And it'd give her a better vantage point. For once, Sith did not like heading out blindly. Not with the Light so close by.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With no allies and no township for miles, Sith is forced to trek across the ocean alone, save for an unconscious Ryou. As they head closer to where the final encounter will take place, is Domino going to begin suffering a similar fate? Will the Light of Judgment pierce the barriers of Oblivion and begin destroying other worlds? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	18. Phunbaba: PHUN to say, easy to kill

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Castlevania, or Final Fantasy. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he definitely does not approve of Ryou flying. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they believe in airships. Ohba owns Death Note, and he wouldn't be surprised if Mello abducted one. Konami doesn't even believe in planes.

Sith flew long and hard the entire night, and as a pale, gray light broke over the horizon, she was more than happy to see that land was not too far away. Her wings throbbed; it had gotten very cold as the night dragged on, and only her constant movement kept them from freezing. As the land came closer and closer, Sith dipped her wings to descend slowly. She had to be careful so Ryou didn't fall. In the entire night, he had stirred only once, and so Sith was forced to keep constant watch over him. Considering how tired she was, and the fact that she'd nearly been thrown off of the Vector high cliffs, as well as nearly blasted with the Light, she didn't particularly like this job. But she did it without complaining. At least, not much of it.

Finally, _finally_, the ground was underneath her. Sith finally slowed and dropped to the dirt, her wings giving out in the very end. Laying Ryou, she panted heavily and glanced back to see her new wings already drooping and dripping with dew. She had pushed them too far. Already, she felt them freeze with the morning cold.

"Will they be okay?" Ryou asked her, sitting up as he saw her trying to dry them. She looked up at him, and then she frowned. How long had the bastard been awake!?

"I think they'll be fine," she replied, and then stood, "But I don't even know where we are now. You didn't happen to have looked at a map before you were thrown here, did you?" Ryou laughed. To even ask that just amused him. He didn't know where she'd even kept her old maps or anything. Besides, she had said the world was corrupted. A map wouldn't do any good.

"Where's the best place _to_ head?" he asked, looking around as he added, "Maybe if we go where it _used_ to be…"

"You're assuming the towns still stand," Sith said seriously, and Ryou looked at her again, "Ryou, that Light has the ability to rip apart an entire world in one blow. The fact that we're even alive is a miracle right now. We'll be lucky if we find _any_ form of civilization." Ryou didn't appreciate Sith's negativity. She didn't fly out all that way just to say there wasn't much hope. Then again, he didn't fully understand the destructive force behind the light. Sith had a history here, and slowly, it was awakening as time went on. She knew about it, and his guess is, she knew a lot.

"What can we do?" he asked her, trying not to sound too frustrated with their circumstances. Luckily, the answer wasn't as bleak as before.

"If we use the gaming variant of this world, there are a few things we could try," Sith explained, and her tone seemed to have hope in it, "The problem is that this is actually a _world_, not a _game_, like when we first entered. If we had Aeon with us, he'd know what should be done, but I guess I could take a crack at his job for a bit." Ryou didn't like the sound of that. But she wasn't actually answering his question, so he figured he might as well go along with it. She took out Aeon's watch and opened the container. Ryou heard a soft ticking as she looked at it.

"Sith, I don't think…"

"Events are progressing as they should," she said, "So in terms of time issues, there aren't any. That's good. All that's left is to see what she's done with the Light." She closed the watch and put it back in her pocket, turning to Ryou, "I don't remember much about the game anymore, not with memories of this world returning to me, but I can remember some aspects. From the looks of it, there are two roads for us to take; one east and one west." That information wasn't too helpful right then, unfortunately. There was still the problem of knowing where each one led.

"So you're asking me to choose the most promising," Ryou guessed, but Sith shook her head, crossing her arms.

"I'm asking you to bear with me on this," she replied sternly, "It's not every day that a game is based upon an actual world." That didn't make much sense to Ryou, but he didn't feel like questioning it right then. Sith needed help. In the end, they both agreed to go east. Not for any reason in particular, but simply because it was the direction they happened to be facing. Considering their past strategies, Ryou felt that that kind of reasoning wasn't the best place to make decisions from. But screw strategy. They were in a corrupted world, for God's sake.

The path wasn't too taxing on either of them. The ocean surrounded them on both sides, and the Light seemed to have demolished any mountains or ditches in their way. And while that made the land dull and featureless, Sith had to admit that it made crossing incredibly simple. She only needed to be careful of falling off the sides, and that was something any moron could accomplish.

But with simplicity came the complication of curiosity. Mainly, with Ryou's curiosity, did it become apparent. In the ensuing silence of their journey, his mind pointed out the many problems that rose all around them, in this barren land, and it took no time for him to be unable to keep any of them in. For Sith, who wanted to focus on finding out where the others had gone and where Falnika was, this was an annoyance she couldn't tolerate. Not when it would've been easier for Ryou to keep quiet. But he _was_ only human, and he was barely eighteen.

"And I just don't understand. Did she kill the monsters as well as everyone else, or are we just lucky?" he asked, not even knowing Sith had tuned him out in favor of her own thoughts, "Sith, how powerful is that Light?"

"Powerful enough for me to be afraid of it," she mumbled unhappily, as they rounded a soft curve that went northward. Ryou stopped and stared for a minute. She sounded cold, and it hurt.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked her, and this time she stopped and turned around. And she sighed. Sometimes, it wasn't worth getting angry with your own friends, no matter how annoying they were. She shook her head.

"No, not with you," Sith answered truthfully, "Truth is, Ryou, I think I'm getting too damn old." With that, she walked toward a rock and sat down. He went to join her. "I don't know how old I am, but it's old enough. Chasing these Mystics down is becoming a bit too tiring now, and if it weren't for Aeon, I'd call it quits and let Bahamut handle it this time." Ryou patted her back, trying to figure out what it was she was trying to say to him. He knew it held some importance, though, and so he'd do his best to support her.

"This time?" he repeated, and tried to find a question that didn't sound stupid, "Has he handled them before?"

"Not Rath and her bunch," Sith replied quietly, and looked down at the ground, "But he employs me to stop her from her conquest, her constant need to destroy us all."

"Why?" he asked, eyes widening, "Why employ you? Aren't you the most powerful Esper alive?" Sith actually laughed. That was flattering, but compared to Bahamut, to Odin, even to Fenrir, she still had some ways to go.

"It's punishment," she replied, and at this, Ryou couldn't hide his astonishment. Punishment! But what for? When he asked her, she said, "For what I've done so long ago." The memory was painful, for she had closed her eyes and tears began to fall. Ryou couldn't stand it. He stood.

"You can't even remember what happened. That isn't fair," he said to her furiously, "Can't we plead to him? Doesn't he know?"

"Esper law is a constant, Ryou. It is much more severe than human law," Sith explained gently, "He knows. And that is precisely why it's _my_ job. Because I was directly involved with the ending of our kind." Ryou still didn't like it. But when he explained that to Sith, she waved it off and continued on. And he watched, wishing she could only remember what had truly happened.

The remainder of their journey was quiet; Sith wasn't in the mood to share anything more about herself, and Ryou was content to let her be that way. He had a lot to digest as it was. Sith was slowly coming to terms with herself, and while Rath was pushing it to be that way, he also understood Mello was to thank for it. But was it really for the best? With the last bit of information Sith handed him, it seemed almost cruel to reawaken her own memories. It happened so long ago, anyway. Why should she be held accountable for something that, for all intense and purposes, might not have even been entirely her fault?

But Ryou knew nothing about Esper politics, so there wasn't much he could do to help her on that problem. But on this one, he was more than willing to be present for. And not only for Sith's sake; he also had scores to settle with Rath, and he had a feeling Aeon and Mello had as well. Mello's was obvious: it was all for Sith's sake. But Aeon's had to be much deeper than that. Maybe if he really did stop fighting Mello, they might actually help Sith out for once. Maybe that was Mello's point.

If Ryou was going to accept that, he'd have to find everyone else, first. And as they finally came over a high crest, they saw a small town toward the northeast. It gave Ryou hope. Even if no one they knew was there, it meant Falnika _hadn't_ yet succeeded in decimating this world. The more time they had, the better. Sith turned to Ryou and they nodded to each other, jumping or climbing down the crest to the plains that swept up to the town's gates.

From then on, the trek was simple. They went in a direct line, and when they reached the gates, Ryou was pleasantly surprised to see that the town was bustling with people going about their daily lives. Children were tending to gardens, trying to revive some of the ruined foliage from the world's magnificent transformation, and the shopkeepers held their wares outdoors, shouting their prices and insults to fellow businesses. The women, of course, were walking through the streets, talking about news from the south and west. Ryou could hardly contain his excitement. They might actually find something here!

"Settle down, kid," Sith chuckled, seeing how pink Ryou's cheeks were becoming, "We're here to _get information_, not to go sight-seeing." The scolding did dishearten Ryou a bit, but not enough to still express his joy. For once, hope actually seemed in their reach. To hell with Sith if he was going to let it go that easily.

"Can we at least stop at the bar and get a drink?" he asked her, and she rose a brow, "I'm parched!"

"Are you even old enough to drink?" she countered, and Ryou's mouth dropped. _She_ drank all the time, and most of those times she became adequately intoxicated, too! And when he argued that, she actually caved and said they could get _one_ drink, but nothing more. She didn't want to clean up any vomit he'd make.

The bar was on the southeastern section of the city, and it was the biggest establishment Ryou had seen in the town. Perhaps that was because it also held the inn, but the size – which took up an entire block, no less! – was intimidating to him. He shivered a bit as Sith came up, looking up as she scanned the building.

"Ready to go in?" she asked, noticing he seemed shaken enough. He nodded, and she patted his back, leading him inside. He instantly regretted his request for the drink. The bar reeked of alcohol, sweat, and vomit, and the few dim, dirty lights that were on only added to it. Sith wrinkled her nose with disdain as a particularly burly man in a green helmet stumbled past, and Ryou was almost sure he saw her draw her blade.

"You want to leave," he said, but to his amazement, Sith shook her head. She took his arm and brought him toward the back, where it was only minimally quieter. They sat at a table in the corner. Sith looked around to make sure they were alone.

"We're in trouble," she whispered, "Look at their uniforms, Ryou." Ryou turned, and on Sith's words, only enough to see in his peripheral vision. But he saw the uniforms, on every patron in the bar. And now he understood her concern. He recognized them, though green now, as the uniforms Kefka's men had worn.

"The Empire!" he hissed, and turned back to Sith, "Why is Kefka here!?"

"Not Kefka," she whispered back, "Falnika, no doubt. I guess Mello is alive if she's posting men here. He's the only one insane enough to draw out this many troops in so short a time." Ryou blinked, realizing that Mello may have put them in grave danger with whatever stunt he did pull. Sith shook her head, and with a sigh, said, "Mello, what in hell have you done?"

"Think you could take them out?" he asked, and when she stared, he said, "I'll help!" Another guard came lumbering down, distracted with a keg of what smelled like stale whisky. Sith waited for him to pass.

"I doubt it. I could probably kill them, but the result would be another ambush like in Figaro," she replied, and cursed angrily, "If it comes to a damned fight, I'm quite sure we might actually lose." Ryou could see why. They were outnumbered, two against thirty or forty at least. And there wasn't much room for Sith to run, should she engage in close combat. Ryou, at least, had the advantage of climbing onto the eaves and picking them off with his gun.

"We should run," he whispered, but again, she shook her head.

"Not without knowing what happened," she said sternly. Ryou looked around again. That wasn't an easy thing to accomplish. If they simply started asking questions, someone would start wondering why. And Sith wasn't exactly forgettable. By now, anyone in Falnika's control must know about her distinct characteristics.

"Tell me you have a plan," he said. Sith almost laughed. That'd have to take time, and they didn't have that.

"I could see if my father's power ingrained itself in me," she replied, and Ryou quickly found he didn't want to know what her father was, if he wasn't an Esper like herself. But Sith had no plan! This was almost ironic. Cruelly ironic.

"Sith!" he hissed angrily, but Sith's glare told him he'd better shut up. She lowered her head and narrowed her eyes.

"We're surrounded by guards and you're asking me to dive right in and do what needs to be done, regardless of the danger, Ryou," she pointed out blandly, and he flushed, "Even by Esper standards, that's a stupid thing to do. Forgive me for not coming up with _everything_ for once." Ryou didn't like the pointed accusation, but Sith had a bit of a point. He sighed. Sometimes, she was too difficult.

"So then, what do we do about them?" he asked her. Sith hummed, knowing that, in a bar, the primary thing was to get drunk as all hell. She _could_ work with that, but she needed a disguise. Even while drunk, everyone knew what Espers looked like, and she wasn't exactly trying to hide her wings or tail.

"I'll need a disguise," she said ominously. But if anything, that only managed to scare Ryou more.

Within fifteen minutes, Sith had her disguise. She had to beat up a barwench to obtain it, but in her mind, it was something she had to do, not what she wanted. Still, it was convincing. Ryou himself couldn't believe she pulled it off. He also couldn't believe how good she managed to look, too, but knew damn well that if he said that, he'd get half his face sliced off for it. Still, damn it, Mello was a lucky bastard! Ryou forced himself to ignore that thought. Work first, jealousy later.

"Be careful out there, Sith," he replied, helping tie the bow that kept her dress from slipping off. Unfortunately, the dress was designed to be revealing, and Sith wouldn't stand for it. Ryou had to scour the women's bathroom for anything that could hold it up, but they did manage. Toilet paper, sadly, wouldn't hold for more than twenty minutes. Sith could only hope that she could get what she needed in that time.

"No need to remind me of that, kid," she said unhappily, and left the bathroom, with Ryou following just a few minutes after. He stayed to the back and watched, loading his gun in case it got too ugly. But Sith seemed fine for the moment. She went toward a particularly crowded table where a high-ranking official sat. Personally, Ryou felt that was foolish, but maybe Sith had a reason for this.

"_HEY!_" one of the guards called, whistling as Sith passed, "Wench, one round of your finest! And bring some alcohol, too!" This earned a roar of laughter from the guard's buddies, and though Ryou could feel Sith wanting to rip him apart, she smiled sweetly and obliged by going to the table.

"O' course, me lord!" she cried in what Ryou assumed was another learned accent, "But first I has a matter to attend to, an' it'd be rude to ignore it." Ryou twitched, wondering what the hell she was trying to accomplish with her maneuver. The guard didn't suspect a thing.

"Sweetheart, the only matter ye ought to have is with us," the high-ranking man said, and yanked on a chain, "Except for this runt here. Ye don't need to worry yerself over him." Sith looked down to where the chain ended. And her mouth dropped. Those sons of bitches had Matt with them! He looked up, expecting to see some dirty, rumpled whore before him. And instead, his eyes locked with Sith's. And unlike Sith, he couldn't keep his emotion in.

"_Sith!?_" he exclaimed, and realized too late that addressing her was a mistake. The laughter fell immediately, and Sith felt all eyes on her. She scrambled from the table, knocking into the one behind her. But they saw, all of them, her face. Her sword was in her hand immediately. Matt blew up her plan. The guards all stood, and the high-ranked officer glowered, taking out his mace.

"Sith Winchester herself. What a damn gift for us indeed," the officer spat, "And to think I almost bedded with you!"

"As though I'd let a waif like you even touch me!" Sith shot back, "Now release Matt or I'll cut that head off. On what ground do you have for even abducting him!?" Ryou saw now what was going on. As everyone else was distracted, sneaking up to get a better seat took no effort. The officer laughed.

"Grounds? My, you have fallen behind, old woman. These were orders from our superior," he told her. This seemed to strike Sith, for she stepped back. But she was far from defeated, not with simple words.

"Then your corpse in my bag will send Falnika a clear message," she growled, and grinned, "Any last words, human?"

"It's not Falnika!" Matt cried out, "It's Rath!" He got a good slap in the face for that, and Sith was on the offender immediately. She drove her sword right through the man's back, and he barely squeaked a scream before Sith sliced upwards, gutting him. She landed inches from the officer, and aimed her sword directly for the man's throat.

"So then, she's coming directly for me, eh?" Sith concluded, and laughed, "How utterly generous for a murderer." The officer wasn't moved by her guts. Just as she was in a position to stab him, he could also crush her skull with his heavily ironed, spiked mace. He yanked Matt's chain again, nearly choking the smaller man.

"Keep up the insults, ye ugly whore, and we kill yer friend here," he said. Now Ryou reacted. He aimed, and shot a blast of plasma. And while he didn't hit the officer, he hit the guard in front of him, and the poor soul fell over, killed instantly. It was enough of a distraction for Sith to cut Matt's chain cleanly. She just barely parried the heavy mace, and the force of it brought her down.

Matt's reaction was much more satisfying. He grabbed the officer's arms and spun him, bringing his knee up hard. He heard a satisfying crack and then a scream, and let the body fall, not caring what it was he broke. Sith spun and killed the oncoming guards, and saw Ryou shooting his way to them. With three able fighters, now, the guards realized that Sith wasn't powerless at all, and they backed away, forming a nice path to escape from. But Sith wasn't going to run. She feigned it as she ran with Matt and Ryou, but at the last second, she turned, and Ryou saw her wings burst out of the dress and glow red. And he ran away even faster as she held up her hand.

"_Vrebrenfreug!_" she yelled, and all Ryou felt in the next instance was the incredible blast of energy that came from Sith's spell. The building was up in flames before he could even turn to see the damage, but the spell was so intense, that even the sky was lit with a haze of red. And with a blinding explosion, Sith flew out of the building, nearly colliding with Matt, who stood watching the entire scene with an intensity Ryou could never have imagined. His eyes practically glowed from the fire, glassy and dark underneath his red goggles. To him, the fire was amazing. Beautiful… and of course, all he could do was watch it unfold.

"_Mail!_" Sith called, and Matt snapped out of his trance and turned to her. She was perfectly fine, though her dress was a little burned at the edges and she was trying hopelessly to hold it up before it fell down. He nodded.

"Nice shot there, Sith," he commented, and grinned, "How goes the memories? They working well?"

"Tell us what you know, Matt. I'll answer you when we're not about to die," Sith grumbled. Ryou glanced at them both. Matt, of course, was smiling like an idiot. Sith, however, looked particularly uncomfortable. Matt struck a chord, obviously. But he simply shrugged it away. If he did, he didn't seem to care much.

"All I know is that Falnika is using every villain in this world to find you," Matt told her, and his voice went lower, "But Rath is using Falnika to unleash that Light of yours." Unfortunately, Sith already knew all of this. She looked down, knowing that Rath actually succeeded in both parts. With such a ruckus in the bar, everyone would know she had been there by tomorrow. They'd just have to leave, then.

"And to think that such power hadn't yet killed you all off!" came a booming voice from behind, and all three of them turned. In the daylight, stood a creature that Sith could only accurately describe as _ugly_. He was easily twice her height, thrice her weight, and could probably kill her if he tried hard enough. With the head of a giant bull and the body of an ogre, dark green in coloring, he was a monster that Ryou neither wanted to fight or converse with. But for the moment, the foul beast seemed more intent on bantering than skewering Sith with the spear he wielded.

"I'm not one to die easily," Sith spat, eyes narrowed, "Now step aside, _beast_, before I cook you as I've cooked those troops." Ryou thought she was being a bit too gutsy, but he had to give her credit. She was good at taking risks. The beast laughed hysterically.

"_You_ think you can defeat me, the great Phunbaba!?" he roared, and laughed again, "Such thoughts! But no, I have strict orders to kill you, all of you, until no one of the Nesce kingdom stands. That includes your beloved little gunman and your time-keeping friend." Sith's eyes widened. That meant…

"Mello and Aeon are _alive!?_" she whispered, and then said, "Tell me where they are! _Now!_" Phunbaba laughed again, and if he could, Ryou was sure he'd sneer at her. He shook his massive head, drool spraying as a result.

"I credit you for your courage, Sith Winchester! But courage will not save you from your grave!" the beast bellowed, "I will eat those guts of yours until you're not but a memory!" As he spoke, Phunbaba caused a tremor in the ground, and a thick, green gas started to spread all over the city. Ryou gagged as he smelled it, and quickly held his breath. Whatever that sick creature just did, it might just kill _everyone_ in the city.

"Did that son of a bitch seriously _fart!?_" Matt coughed, covering his face to avoid the gas. Sith plugged her nose and shook her head. Of all the insulting attacks to use, that was the most offensive. He might as well have just taken a crap and left them to clean it.

"Falnika must be desperate to rely on him," she commented, and looked at Matt sideways, "Want to try a combination?"

"Think it'd work?" Matt asked her, and Ryou noted how hopeful he sounded. Sith almost laughed, except that the gas might've killed her if she did.

"Better than magic, for a start," she replied, "The only problem is his fat lard of an ass and stomach. It might recover faster than we can crack it!" Matt wasn't the least bit fazed with that obstacle. His eyes glinted as he took something out of his pocket.

"Then it'll be mighty good practice for when I go to kick Kira's ass!" he exclaimed. Sith didn't comment, but she didn't need to. Whatever Matt had been to Sith, they had a close bond. They knew how to attack and when to do it, and as Matt threw whatever he held in his pocket, Sith took her sword and spun around with it, creating a miniature whirlwind. And she threw that whirlwind right into Phunbaba, just as Matt's bomb exploded. The result was another beautiful pillar of fire that reached up into the sky, piercing the heavens. But was it enough?

The answer was, they hadn't. Phunbaba still stood amidst the pillar of flame, his bulk absorbing most of the damage. But he wouldn't be for long. For in that moment, Ryou understood what _his_ role in the battle was. He took aim with his plasma gun, and charged it to the best his abilities could muster. He just had to hope basic physics and science applied, even in another world. And within those split seconds of thought, he released the ballistic.

The bullet ripped right through the overgrown beast, shredding skin and sinew alike, and as Ryou had hoped, the bullet began to erupt as soon as it was exposed to Matt's fiery round. Match that with Sith's whirlwind… and the ensuing blast was brilliant. For the long moment, the entire world went silent, and the bursts of light rivaled the fatal Light of Judgment in every aspect. Matt shielded his eyes, and Ryou ducked to avoid the spray of gravel and brick as the eruption tore through the crumbled bar behind Phunbaba. But Sith stared into the bright light, and watched as the city around her crumbled into complete and utter chaos…

"Did we get him?" Matt asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She became aware that the world hadn't actually ended, that she had lived through the blast. And she looked around. Surely, they must have. Then she saw the beast, still standing, leaning on his spear. Only patches of his green hide remained clinging to his bones, and very few of his muscles were left, making him look skeletal in the firelight. His eye – one had managed to fall out during the assault – focused on Sith in particular.

"Don't think… you've… won… Sith… ran… der…" he growled, but his voice was growing deeper and slower with each passing moment as he dragged himself forward, "You… have seen… your… last…"

"Put a cork in it and die!" Matt cried, and yelped when Phunbaba threw his spear. The hulking creature fell as a result, but the spear missed its mark, implanting itself in the nearby tree. And leaving whatever remained of Phunbaba completely defenseless. His muscles couldn't possibly harm Sith, not now. Nor did she give him that chance. She took out Zealacht again.

"I've seen more than enough of you," she said firmly, and Ryou saw her eyes flash red for a second, "_X-Borgen!_" Ryou's eyes widened. That was a forbidden spell! Why had Sith used it again!? Nonetheless, it worked. A vortex of black opened underneath Phunbaba, but he didn't even scream as it sucked him in. He went in silently, and the spell swallowed him whole before dissipating again. And that was that.

"Sith…" Ryou began, but Sith was in no mood to talk. She turned away.

"Ryou, do you still hold my outfit?" she asked, and he nodded. He tossed her his bag, and she took it, going into the smoldering ruins. Five minutes later, she returned and said, "We leave, now." There was no room to question, no option for debate. They were leaving, or they were going to die, and neither Matt nor Ryou had a reason to stay in the city.

"So… just where do we head, Sith?" Matt asked, as they walked down the silent street, leaving the smoldering fire behind them. Only when they were safely away, and sure they were alone, did Sith reply.

"Thamasa," she said grimly, and Ryou felt a pang of darkness to the air as she said it, "Far to the south, no less, but we'll be safe from the Empire and Rath once we're there."

"South?" Ryou repeated, and frowned, "Sith, not that I don't trust you, but how will we get there? Can you actually carry us?" Sith shook her head. Truth was, it took most of her strength to carry Ryou. Add Matt, and she might not be able to fly period. But there were other ways: The world had literally changed from the light, and that included the 'Serpent of the World,' too.

"The Serpent Trench honeycombs throughout this entire world, and it's shifted enough for us to take the current," she told them both, stopping and squinting in the distance, "Baron Falls, the easiest way to enter that trench, is most likely split from the shift in the world, and there are other mountains this trench spills through. It should be easy to get there." That was all well and good, but Ryou remembered specifically saying he didn't want to swim.

But in the end, he caved in and let Sith go on with her plan. Matt was entirely on her side, and no amount of reason would persuade both of them. But as they continued do south, toward the hills they had originally come from, Ryou turned back and looked toward the city. Phunbaba said that Mello and Aeon were alive, and that must've meant Yugi and Malik were, too. But… was there a chance Matt wasn't the only one held hostage? Time would only tell. He suddenly wished Aeon was with them.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With only herself to help her, Sith set out with Ryou for the city of Mobliz to find out what had happened. And fatefully, she was reunited with Matt. As they attempted to flee, Phunbaba, a demon with a grudge against Sith, appears and tells her she will be killed. With only the faint hope of their friends' health, can Ryou, Matt, and Sith find the others and defeat Falnika? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	19. Two little pigs and an Ugly Duck

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Castlevania, or Final Fantasy 6. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he disapproves of Ryou killing Phunbaba. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they disapprove, too. Ohba owns Death Note, and he's pretty sure Kira could kill both Ryou and Phunbaba. Konami just thinks Phunbaba's a wimp.

Domino City wasn't faring too well. The barriers between that world and the ones Sith had previously been mixed up in were growing too thin; things were shifting and warping all over the place, and monsters were appearing sporadically and rapidly. As Bakura, Yami, and Ishtar ran outside, Riz kept herself indoors to watch. Whatever was going on, they had a feeling something had to end it soon. There was a certain stiffness to the air, a distinct feel, that made them fear that even Zork himself might have been returning. If Falnika was powerful enough to kill Sith, what could stop her from resurrecting the God of shadows?

"What the fuck is happening!?" Ishtar demanded loudly, pointing up at the purple clouds that were forming over the square. Yami knew those clouds too well; the Mystics were on the move again. And this time, Sith wasn't there to halt them.

"We're about to get our asses kicked," the pharaoh mumbled, and shivered visibly. Their pitiful Millennium Items were entirely worthless against this evil, and summoning monsters would only delay the massive army. What they needed were more enchanted weapons like Sith's sword. Having Sith herself, or any Esper, around would've been even better. But the only other Esper was Katt, and she had long since fled for parts unknown.

"Damn it, why couldn't Katt just stay here and tell us what's going on!?" Bakura yelled, and his brows creased as he watched the sky darken, "She knows. But what the hell is so terrifying that she has to hide it? Why from _Sith!?_" Yami turned to Bakura curiously.

"You think Katt's…"

"There's no denying it! Yami, that's _Sith_. _She's_ the one I've been trying to find!" Bakura exclaimed in exasperation, "Katt's reaction proves it. What the other Mystics say prove it! Her age is about right. But what I don't understand is why. Katt's trying to keep Sith's past away from her. Were we that bad?" Yami bit his lip, but he didn't know what to say. He knew he was a good friend to her, and Bakura was just Bakura. But they wouldn't harm her. So then… why was Katt so upset?

"Perhaps it has nothing to do with us," Yami reasoned, "There were others who came here for Sith. That time-keeper, and that young man… Katt seemed particularly vexed when he showed up." Bakura nodded, remembering her reaction quite well, and remembering Ryou's. Neither wanted the man anywhere near Sith. Unfortunately, Ishtar wasn't as concern for their fallen friend.

"Who the hell cares!?" the young spirit demanded, "Look, we're under attack and you're worrying about an old woman like _Sith!?_ She's old enough to take care of herself, and she's old enough to technically be dead! Now stop jabbering and _help me!_" Bakura and Yami exchanged glances. As much as they wanted Sith there, they knew the city needed them _now_. No… their _world_ needed them. The danger wouldn't stop at Domino's back door.

"Ishtar's right," Bakura reluctantly said, "Sith might need help, but we're under siege right now. As soon as we kill the monsters here, let's try and repair our connection to her." Yami nodded. That seemed like the best possible idea. Which was sad, because that idea was crap.

---

"This is it?" Matt asked, when Sith finally stopped outside of a small cave just south of the city of Mobliz. The trek was less than a mile off city, and frankly, Ryou was amazed they had passed it without realizing it. Then again, Sith hadn't been looking for a quick and easy escape. As Sith stood and overlooked the small mountain encompassing the mouth of the cave, she became brutally aware that this wasn't Baron Falls. Passage might not be accessible, after all. But could she tell them that? She frowned.

"Aye, as close as we'll get," she replied seriously, and tapped her foot, "Baron Falls is far north, if you'd prefer it." Ryou didn't like that tone. He had a feeling something wasn't going right. He turned to her before making his way inside.

"Why would we?" he asked her suspiciously. Obviously, he knew her tone well. Which wasn't a surprise; she'd lived with him for years now.

"No point in keeping it from you, but I'm not entirely sure if we'll be able to enter the trench this way," she admitted, and Ryou's eyes narrowed, "Don't give me that look. I said I was trying earlier, not that I'd succeed. Just bear with me, Ryou." That felt like something that was becoming harder and harder to do, but Ryou humored her anyway.

"So what do we do?" he asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Sith tapped her chin, shrugged, and passed him, heading into the cave. Matt obediently followed suit.

Thankfully, the cave was small and straightforward. There was no way to get lost, and ample light to see, thanks to the crystal formations that grew right out of the wall. Like the ones in Ryou's world, these too glowed with a soft, blue light. He almost touched one, but then thought better of it. He didn't want magic in him any more than it already was.

"Since we're on the shoreline, the summit should be facing the ocean," Sith explained simply, walking them through the rocky passage, "I can't fly, but I _can_ jump a bit, even with you two holding on. My plan is to jump far enough to land right in the trench." Matt and Ryou just stared at her, wide-eyed. She was strong, but she wasn't invincible. She had her limits. And judging by their looks, she guessed they thought she'd reached those limits.

"And you think that's going to _work_?" Matt asked sarcastically. Then he laughed. But Sith didn't find it funny, because she was dead serious about it. Besides, Matt hadn't even come up with a plan yet. Who was he to laugh?

"If you can do better, then get up here and try," she growled, and turned back on the path, storming down. Ryou's skin paled. Technically, Matt had a right to question her. The plan seemed bad, even in Ryou's ears. But he didn't want Sith leaving them there. He looked over at Matt.

"We should give it a shot," he suggested. Matt blinked, and looked up at Ryou through his lenses. He rose a brow.

"You think?" he asked, and when Ryou nodded, he grinned and said, "Why not? Mel and I've done stupider shit before."

"And _I've_ pulled you out of that shit, too," Sith remarked, and smirked, "This time, I'm throwing you right in." But that didn't discourage Matt. If anything, that made him even more psyched to be committing suicide. He gave her the thumbs up. Until, of course, he remembered one problem with going _underwater_: They'd need to be able to breathe at some point. And Sith _hadn't_ discussed that.

"Uh… Sith? How're we going to breathe down there?" he asked her. She blinked, and then she stopped. Looks like there _was_ a problem she overlooked. Her lips thinned and she blushed in embarrassment. _Aeon_ could've made it possible to breathe underwater.

"…how good is a typical human's lung capacity?" she asked, and Matt nearly tripped on himself. That was her answer. To try _holding their breath_ the entire way there. He turned to Ryou, gesturing to say _something_ that might dissuade Sith from inadvertently slaughtering them, but Ryou had no idea what to say. That question was so stupid, he couldn't even believe Sith asked it.

"You think all of us can hold our breath that long!?" Ryou blurted out, and Matt actually snorted. So much for subtlety. Sith's smirk became a cocky grin.

"_I_ don't need to hold my breath. _You_ do," she replied, and Ryou's mouth dropped, "It's an Esper trait. We can breathe underwater." Ryou looked at Matt again, but the man wasn't surprised. He must've known this fact. Ryou looked from him, back to Sith. What, was she immortal now?

"How is that possible!?" Ryou demanded, "Sith, I've _seen_ your x-ray! You have _lungs_, not gills!"

"I'm made of _magic_, Ryou. Human laws of physics and terrestrial attributes don't exactly apply to me," she pointed out flatly, "I might not _like_ water, but it won't kill me. Not with drowning, anyway." That was nice to know, Ryou guessed. He'd have liked to ask a bit more about what Espers could do, but he decided he didn't want to know. Besides, Sith was already far ahead.

The passage led to an outside cliff near the summit, as Sith had thought it would. Below, Ryou could hear waves crashing against the crags and rocks, and he felt the spray of seawater as it went upward from the impact. The air was much colder up here, now, and he found himself shivering, even more so from the mist below. Sith stopped here, and looked in the horizon again. They were facing east, but the trench ran south. If they jumped in, it should carry them to the shores to the south. Assuming anything was down that way. She turned to Ryou.

"Ready?" she asked him. Ryou wanted to say that he _wasn't_, but by that time, Matt was already grabbing Sith's hand. Ryou twitched. He didn't appreciate that, and so he caved and took her arm. Sith just snorted. And then, she jumped.

The water was freezing. As they plunged through the glassy surface of the ocean, Ryou felt his blood run cold. But the shock of it kept him from screaming in surprise. He shut his eyes now. He couldn't bare to see what might be waiting for them, but as he did, he was shocked by how loud his own thoughts were now. Even more surprising was that he heard _Matt's_ thoughts, too.

'_God, damn it! Sith's gone fucking mental!_' Matt shouted in his head, and Ryou felt a wave of cold come over him. Obviously, Matt disliked water even more than Sith, and hated to be in anything cold. Ryou almost felt for him. Except that he wasn't faring too much better, either.

'_This isn't the worst she's done_,' Ryou admitted, and for a moment, Matt's thoughts went silent. Then Ryou felt confusion, and a bit of worry, too.

'_Dude, you can hear me?_' came the timid, curious question. Ryou nodded, and Matt continued, '_Awesome! That means I can hear you, too!_' Ryou just grumbled. That didn't sound so promising. Matt wasn't the only one listening, anyway. Ryou felt a strong, familiar presence in his mind, too. Sith's thoughts, nonetheless. Or was it words? Ryou couldn't tell. She did say she could breathe underwater.

"You two had better knock it off," she growled, and both of them looked at her quizzically, "We have company ahead." Ryou heard Matt groan in irritation, and looked up to see that a large, razor-edged fish was coming toward them, its rows of spiky fangs bared as it saw its next meal. So there _were_ monsters still in the trench. Wonderful.

'_This sucks_,' Matt thought, shaking his head. Ryou felt Sith shift her arm, and saw her reach for her sword. He had no idea how she planned to fight underwater, but she seemed pretty confident. She must've done this at some point in her life.

Sith swung her sword in a forward arc, and the fish dove right into the slice. It was slashed, in a single second, into two pieces, both of which collapsed onto the ocean floor with a spray of crimson blood. Ryou almost let go of his nose; the sight of so much blood made him feel ill enough as it was. He looked over at her and Matt. Matt seemed pleased enough, but Sith wasn't calmed yet. She was still holding her sword out, as if ready to strike again.

'_Are there more?_' Ryou asked her through his thoughts. She nodded grimly, and sure enough, she saw more of those same fish swimming toward them with abandon. They must've smelled the blood of their fallen kin. Or perhaps were attracted because of it.

"Kill one, and I guarantee three will replace it," Sith replied, temporarily letting them go to perform a circular slash that, while it didn't directly connect, the resounding shockwave split all of the fish in similar fashion. More blood littered the water, and Ryou was getting worried that Sith might turn the sea red.

'_How many more?_' Matt asked her, realizing that still another horde was on its way. Ryou had the distinct impression that it wasn't their friends that brought them there; if these fish were deadly, they would've delighted on tasting blood. And there was a lot of blood around them right now.

'_Sith, they're after the blood!_' Ryou cried in warning. But he realized that was pointless; Sith already figured that out. She side-glanced at him for a moment, and then looked ahead. Ten fish wanting to eat them. And if she killed them, she'd only bring about more.

"Right now, there's not much else I can do without using one of the five spells again," she told them, and Ryou couldn't help but shiver, "You know what could happen, right?" Ryou knew too well, and knew Sith had taken her chances with the last spell she used. If Bahamut caught on, Sith might be imprisoned for the rest of her long life.

'_Well, whatever you can do, do it!_' Matt said loudly, and Sith turned, '_They're coming in fast, Sith!_' Sith took a breath. Maybe the answer was to kill them using something that wouldn't tear their bodies apart. But what? If she used magic, it would hurt Matt and Ryou. Water was the most powerful conductor in the magical realm.

Finally, though, an idea did come to her. While she couldn't use a spell that _drew_ power from the elements, she could use one that threw them outward, and it wouldn't harm anything but her targets. Or so, she could only hope. She had only been in this situation once; it resulted in a giant rabbit trying to kill her. She closed her eyes, focusing with all her power. She nearly jumped when she felt Matt's hand on hers; he was lending her his own strength for her spell.

"_Whibdhuwinder!_" Sith yelled, and hurled her spell directly at the line of foes before her. The result, Ryou understood, was much more powerful than Sith had expected. No doubt because of Matt and his aid.

The whirlwind Sith had made was catastrophic. It swirled viciously, sucking in everything around it: the fish, the water, the scallops and rocks, and Sith, Matt, and Ryou themselves. Ryou found himself screaming, clutching Sith's arm as if letting go might kill him. And in that sort of circumstance, it might just. Around and around they all spun, none of them knowing where they were going now or what would end up happening. Death flashed through Ryou several times as he considered the impact of their landing. Match that with Sith's power… what was meant to be a distraction was quickly turning into a deadly maelstrom, and not even Sith could begin to stop it now.

Ryou couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, if only to see them swirl through the water. But Sith was far braver. She looked down and saw the ground spiral dizzily underneath them, saw fish trying to fight, but ultimately failing, to escape the vortex of deadly water. And she knew what was going to happen next. They were flying upwards too quickly; any second, they'd break the surface and be shot straight into the air. If she could get her wings unstuck and ready them, she could glide to safety. But Matt's weight on her right, as well as the vacuum of the furious whirlwind, kept them from extending the least little bit. Sith shivered. Matt and Ryou were both dragging her, both beginning to fall unconscious from lack of oxygen. She had inadvertently forced the rest of their breath out of them with her magic.

And just like that, it was done with. Sith crashed through the surface and was blown hundreds of feet upwards, toward a direction she prayed was the right way. It was like an angry spout on a particularly hateful whale. Praying to any god who'd listen to her, she hugged Matt and Ryou as close as possible. And she knew it might do no good. Even if she managed to get her wings working, surely they must have drowned. She should've known better. Humans had such tiny lung capacity.

Then, reality crashed around her, quite literally. As she cursed herself for her carelessness in Ryou and Matt's health, she slammed right into the ground faster than even her wings would've been. The only decent thing was that the pain was so severe that it reminded her she still lived.

"God… damn… it…" she groaned, knowing death would've been too peaceful to happen to her. She slowly got to her knees, her ears drooping from the water and her wings shivering. She became only vaguely aware that her friends might not have survived the fall. Then she heard a groan beside her.

"Why… couldn't… this happen… to Mello!?" Matt asked miserably, sitting up. He had to hold his head to keep it from spinning, and Sith saw his goggles were practically destroyed from her spell. And that was a pity. The only time she'd ever remembered him with his goggles off was when he was asleep.

"Did we actually survive that?" Sith asked him, as he recognized her despite his blurry vision. He nodded, and then flopped backwards onto the ground. Part of him wished he _had_ died. Living hurt like hell right then.

"How're you feeling?" Ryou asked, seeming to have been affected the least, "Still have your powers?"

"If I don't, someone gets to die later," she replied simply, and stood up, looking around. They had managed to land on a shoreline, but without a visible landmark, or at least a compass, she had no idea where. There were mountains toward the north, but there always seemed to be mountains in this world. It wouldn't have made a difference to her even if they were stuck _on top_ of one. She frowned and asked, "Matt, do you happen to have a GPS on you?" Matt looked at her for a minute. Then he just laughed.

"If I did, babe, it's broken now," he answered bluntly, and stood as he dusted his vest off, "Relax, though. Mail Jeevas has an innate sense of direction. I'm sure I can lead us right to Mel with no problem!" Sith and Ryou just glanced at each other as Matt proudly began his march due north, where those mountain lay. Something told them that trusting Matt entirely was just a bad idea.

"Uh oh," Ryou concluded, as Sith turned and called, "Matt, you don't even know where we _need_ to go!" Normally, such a silly thing like basic logic wasn't enough to stop Matt, but he realized that he wasn't even armed now. He stopped and turned back toward her. And gave her his confident grin that made him look so damn idiotic.

Ryou never thought Sith hung out with the smartest of people, but Matt was obviously not a good person to rely on when it came to directions. In no time at all, he managed to get them lost, and Sith was forced to take the lead. And she didn't want to, either. She would have rather shoved Matt over the cliffs for his inability to handle outdoor life, but she reminded herself that she cared about Matt and that it'd make her life hell if he died. So, enlisting Ryou's aid, she managed to get some bearing on where they were. And by bearing, she learned they had landed on an island. Which was more or less a good thing; Thamasa was _on_ an island, so they were already halfway there.

Unfortunately, Ryou's knowledge of the outdoors, despite Yaten's many attempts to get him to hike, was limited. Sith didn't get too far with him after learning that they were on the island, and so instead she simply decided to follow the coast. It curved upwards, toward the plains, and then continued for some time. And while she didn't like not knowing where they were, there was only one place to go. So she took it. And both Matt and Ryou followed her.

"So… does this Light of Judgment really have this much power?" Ryou asked, as Sith led them up the crest and into the fields, "I mean… well, you mentioned it, but what's it made of?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Sith answered honestly, and grimaced, "But if Espers were abducted in that factory… then it's possible that it's made of condensed magic. Crystals, most probably." Ryou shivered. No wonder the blast had been so intense. But if that were true… then perhaps Rath didn't actually want to kill Sith. Except that she nearly had, multiple times. He frowned. She was killing every Esper in her path, and it didn't matter where she stopped. Not if that light continued to grow in power, and as long as there were Espers in this world, it would.

"Sith… how do we stop it?" he asked her seriously, so much so that she stopped and stared, "I know in the game, you have to kill Kefka, but this isn't a game anymore. What do we do? What can stop Rath?" Sith seemed to fade for a moment, her eyes becoming steadily unfocused. Then she shook her head.

"If I knew this, Ryou, I'd have stopped her long before now," was Sith's answer. Ryou winced. She sounded defeated as she spoke. She must have remembered something crucial, or perhaps her dealings with Rath were innate, like her own magic.

From then on, the walk was long and silent. Matt had tried to break it with a joke or a snide observation about the scenery, but both Ryou and Sith were preoccupied. Sith grew more and more concerned over the Light of Judgment; any second, Falnika could fire another deadly shot and wipe the world out entirely. The world was becoming that unstable. And Ryou was growing more and more concerned for Sith. Whatever was going on with her, he knew it'd come to a head soon. Whether she remembered it all or whether Aeon or Mello chose to tell her was irrelevant now. Ryou just _knew_ something terrible would happen soon.

What it was, Ryou couldn't begin to guess. Espers were complicated, Sith being one of the most complex. He had learned that a few years ago, when she barely remembered a damn about who she was or what she had to do. But to see it all unfold… Ryou wasn't sure whether to regret his friendship with her or not. On the one hand, they were like family. And maybe that was the problem. Maybe that was why… was why…

Ryou hated admitting that part to himself now. That was why Sith was so hurt with him. Because he was like family. And not like a husband; Ryou came to the cruel realization that he was more a brother to Sith than anything. He looked over at her. She seemed particularly distracted. Was she worried about Mello as well? Ryou found he wasn't angry if she was. Maybe being part of her family was why…

The town came into view two miles later, near the northern coast of the island. Ryou was glad the island was so small. Navigation had been pretty easy, save for Matt nearly getting them lost. Sith stopped at a small ledge overlooking the town. Matt stopped beside her. To him, it was a quiet city, no more than a half mile long at the most, no more than twenty residents living there. Most of the land was cultivated, too: just gardens and vegetable patches. There were only two shops, an inn, and only five residential houses. He highly doubted Mello would stop here.

"This is Thamasa?" Ryou asked, coming up behind them as Sith slid down the ledge, and walked toward the city. Matt just shrugged and followed, and Ryou felt little need to stay by himself. No one even passed them a glance as they walked by.

"Let me talk," Sith said, without actually moving her mouth, and turned to a woman watering a rose bush, "Excuse me, ma'am. We're looking for the mayor." The woman put down her watering can… and then paled when she saw Sith. Obviously, she had never seen an Esper before, for she choked when she tried to speak.

"…" The woman turned away and ignored Sith entirely. Sith just rose a brow, and Matt's eyes widened a bit. He snorted, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Wow, this place is _real_ friendly," he commented to Ryou, as Sith just shrugged and returned to them. But now she looked vexed. Being shunned didn't blow over well with her. Ryou couldn't blame her. He patted her back.

"Let a human try, Sith," he suggested gently, and waved toward an old man, "Excuse me, sir!" The old man glanced his way, and then immediately turned and walked down the road. Ryou felt his spine shiver. Sith was one thing – she looked intimidating with her wings and ears – but Ryou was perfectly human! What was their problem?

"This is fucking creepy," Matt said to Sith as they passed the square, "What the hell's their problem?" Ryou just chuckled. Those were his sentiments exactly.

"They're afraid of me," Sith pointed out grimly, "Thamasa is an old town. If I worked for the empire…" She let the sentence hang. Ryou understood now. If Sith worked for the Imperials and ransacked this city, they'd remember her.

Silently, she moved past the square and went toward one of the two houses in the very back of the town. Ryou watched as Matt crept alongside her, looking around in case anyone decided to get hostile. Sith ignored her friend's movement; she walked right up to one house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. But Sith was persistent, and the third time was rewarded with a grunt as the door slowly opened.

"Who's there!?" came the voice of a particularly grumpy, old man as he came out, eyes squinting as he looked up at Sith. He was short; no taller than up to Sith's chest, and his cape was a very vivid red, hiding most of his plump figure. His white beard went down to his shoes, and his eyes looked small and beady. Again, he demanded, "Who's there!?"

"Calm down, good sir," Sith began, but her tone was grim, not gentle, "We've come for information." The elder's eyes narrowed. He recognized that voice, but… it had been close to fifty years. It couldn't have been! Sith Winchester, the _dreaded_ Sith Winchester, should have been dead. He shook his head.

"So you're alive," he growled, and threw the door open, "Well, come and get me, snarling dog of the Empire! Prepare to face Strago Magus!" He took out a simple wooden wand, but Sith was not fooled by its simple design. She ducked as a blast of white energy sizzled past her shoulder, destroying the tree far behind her. In an instant, her sword was up, blocking the next blast.

"I no longer associate with the Empire!" Sith said furiously, blocking blow for blow, "I've come merely with a question!" Obviously, her past was quickly catching up to her now. Ryou wondered if Falnika, when she had fled here, planned it that way. Strago wasn't convinced of Sith's changed ways. He threw spell after spell. But it was no match for an Esper like Sith. Strago stopped; he was out of breath and was getting nowhere.

"You've killed so many of my friends, you lying demon!" the old man spat, putting the wand away, "Ask your damned question and then leave before I kill you." Ryou didn't think that was possible, but Sith's expression broke his heart. She must have thought Strago could kill her. She sheathed her sword and turned.

"No need for talk. I was just leaving," she said grimly, and didn't even look at them as she said, "Ryou, Matt, let's go." Matt wasn't intent on letting her leave like that. He turned to Strago angrily.

"No way. This guy's gotta problem with you? He gets to deal with _me_," Matt said through clenched teeth. But Sith put her hand on his forearm, blocking his movement. He stared at her through wide eyes and exclaimed, "Sith!"

"Now isn't the time for a fight, Matt," she warned him, "We won't find Mello or Falnika this way."

"…Falnika?" Strago repeated, "Why are you looking for her?"

"Why would you fucking care!?" Matt countered hotly, glaring at him, "I thought you wanted Sith to drop dead, you old fool." Ryou waited for Sith to just slap Matt across the face, but she didn't. She considered Strago's inquiry, not quite sure what she should even say. Why should she talk? He had made it clear there'd be no help for her.

"Falnika is destroying this world as we speak," Sith told him, and Strago listened as she continued, "I understand I have made mistakes, but trust me when I say I haven't come to slaughter this town again. I've come with only questions, and I will leave, should you refuse to answer. On my sword…"

"I don't need an Esper's word," Strago said to her, and she stopped. He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Falnika is atop Kefka's old tower, southwest, far southwest of here." Ryou and Matt exchanged nervous glances. Ryou remembered Mello's words, and silently wondered if he was crazy enough to head there alone. He looked at Sith. She must've wondered the same thing; her skin was paler.

"Could he have gone there?" Ryou asked her. Before she even registered the question, Strago laughed and shook his head.

"No fool can get up there without an airship," the old man told them sternly, "Aside from that, there ain't no airships being made. The only way is to scale the walls." Ryou highly doubted Mello would take that kind of time. Sith frowned. If she didn't have Ryou and Matt with her, she could have simply flown up herself and answered her own questions. Matt wasn't as convinced of Strago's answer, however. He rose a brow.

"So, what, we can't get in now?" he asked. Strago hesitated. There was a way… but he wasn't going to give it to the murderess Esper before him. He shook his head.

"Basically," Strago replied bluntly, "Now, if you don't have another bothersome question, get out of this town and don't return." Matt was on the verge of an explosion, but Sith was ever calmer. She frowned fractionally.

"I have only one," she said quietly, "I am looking for a young man. Blonde hair, with a scar over his left eye, in a leather coat. Has he come by this way?" Strago had nearly slammed the door, but Sith's question stopped him. He hadn't liked that boy too much, either. He nodded. If Sith wanted him, it must've been to kill him.

"As a matter of fact, some psychotic brat did come here fitting that description," Strago told her, stroking his beard, "Kept screaming about you, kept arguing with some white-haired freak with a broken monocle." Sith's eyes widened. Aeon was with him! She grabbed the old man, causing a yelp of anger from him, as she hoisted him off the ground by his collar.

"_Where!?_" she asked. Strago smacked her with the wand again, and she released him. He coughed angrily and pointed due north. Sith squinted her eyes. She could barely see the ocean from there, and beyond that, the tiny island. But if they had gone there…

Sith's face went grim. Could she actually trust the word of a man who would rather see her dead? Her heart told her Mello was heading toward Kefka's tower, but he couldn't get up there. He had to have known this. She looked long and hard at Strago, trying to decide whether she took his advice. He returned her harsh gaze. Even if he was lying, she had to take his word. She promised she would leave if he supplied her with an answer. And he had done so.

She nodded, and without a word, she took Ryou and Matt, and headed down the road, between two small hills that encompassed two residences. She could see already that it led to the northern coast, which wasn't far away. If needed, they could probably swim to the small island. Strago watched her go until she was no longer within sight. Then he shook his head.

"Good luck out there, demon of the abyss," he said sincerely, a frown on his face, "May you rot in hell with Hidon for eternity." Then, he went inside and slammed the door. There was no need to wait for someone who would not be returning.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After reaching Thamasa, Ryou discovers that Sith has made her campaign here, some time ago. With the town forcefully ignoring them, and with only one man willing to explain Sith's dark deeds on this world, Ryou now understands that Sith isn't just a hero. She may have very well been a villain, too. But has the man sent them in the right direction, or did he purposely send them to their graves? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	20. Holy Hiding Hidon: The Monster Hunt

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Castlevania, or Final Fantasy. Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, and he doesn't approve of Ryou looking for Hidon. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they don't approve, either. Konami owns Castlevania, and they think Hidon is baby food. Ohba owns Death Note, and he thinks Hidon can eat everyone.

Domino City wasn't faring well. As Yami, Bakura, and Ishtar made their way through the city proper, toward the city square, it became acutely obvious that magic was going to try devouring their world, only this time, the assault was much more successful, and much less devastating. Rather than destroy everything in sight, as the last two sieges had done, this new attack was slowly, so slowly, corrupting the city. As they ran down the cobbled roads, they saw that something resembling thick tree roots were starting to crack through the ground. But tree roots were not pink, and they certainly didn't throb.

Yami wasn't sure whether he should've been disgusted or disturbed. The further they went toward the proper, the worse the corruption was. He stopped to look only once. And he regretted it. Within those 'roots,' he saw sinew and tiny veins; he realized that whatever was covering the city was _real_. And it was going to literally eat everything. And it was _alive_. His skin paled as he heart a very loud heartbeat. It was like living inside of a monster.

"Okay, this is _disgusting!_" Ishtar yelled, eye twitching as he finally forced himself to stop. He had never seen anything like this. Even in his most insane instance, he never once thought to do something this bad. Whatever Falnika was doing to open Oblivion, she was doing it pretty damn well.

"What form of devilry is this?" Yami whispered, eyes wide, "The city… it's being swallowed!" He looked around, and was at least relieved to see that many of the townspeople were inside. Rex had spread the word well, and because of his somewhat decent credentials, everyone believed him.

Then, of course, he saw the one thing that managed to shatter that illusion of relief: Bakura was gone. In their terror, and haste to find out what it was, they had lost track of the old thief. And when Yami informed Ishtar of this, well, needless to say the young spirit wasn't very happy with it. It was just a miracle he didn't kill something in outrage. Mainly, that he didn't kill _Yami_, who was right next to him.

"Where the hell did he go!?" Ishtar asked nothing in particular, and ran toward one particularly large artery that blocked his passage, "_BAKURA, GET YOUR ANCIENT ASS BACK HERE!_"

"Over there!" Yami said, and jumped right over the artery. Ishtar wrinkled his nose in disgust, but followed the old spirit nonetheless. Bakura wasn't far; he was simply locked in a battle against some sort of monster. But what it was, they couldn't grasp. It looked like an octopus, but with only two tentacles, and a bee's stinger on its back. At the very least, Bakura managed to actually win the battle. That was good.

"An unnatural piece of shit like you deserves to die!" Bakura yelled, shooting a blast of lightning from his ring, "Go back to the abyss where you belong!" He gave a triumphant laugh when the monster crashed into the dirt, and turned just in time to see Yami rushing over, with Ishtar following close behind. He gave a stiff nod.

"Bakura! Thank the gods that you're all right!" Yami called, stopping before he actually crashed into the thief. The two clapped each other on their backs, and Bakura actually managed a grin. It looked grim, considering the circumstances.

"I'd be better if I hadn't been ambushed. Sneaky, little sons of bitches," the thief growled, and huffed, "How goes the reconnaissance?" Yami looked away, and Ishtar just frowned. It was pretty obvious that it wasn't going well.

"Not good," Ishtar said, though 'not good' was a huge understatement. 'Not good' implied that they had any sort of feasible chance of winning. _This_ could've easily passed as 'We're all going to die.' Ishtar, however, believed in being nice. At least when it suited him. Bakura hummed sadly, and looked down at his ring. It still didn't work. All he could do was hope Ryou was okay.

"Connections are still down, and I can't even contact Ryou," Bakura told them grimly, and crossed his arms, "Sith had better be close to killing that Mystic, because this is getting really ridiculous." Again, ridiculous was an understatement. Yami chose to ignore that, though. He nodded.

"I think she is," he said, and the other two stared at him, "Think about it. This world's being devoured, but why would that be? Because Falnika is _winning_?"

"You think she isn't," Ishtar said. Yami nodded, and gestured toward the entire city. Veins kept popping up more and more sporadically; within two days, at the most, they'd be covered in them if Sith didn't hurry it up.

"If she was, she wouldn't need the magic of another world to try and take Sith down," Yami reasoned, "She'd…?" He stopped as his cell phone rang, and curiously, he picked it up and turned it on. To his surprise, it was… Kaiba?!

The call didn't last for more than a few seconds, but whatever it was, Bakura heard it was really severe. Yami had said nothing except that he'd be there in ten minutes. Then he hung up, and without so much as a word, he ran off toward Kaiba Corp's general direction. Ishtar and Bakura exchanged nervous glances. Then they also followed Yami's lead. If only to see what had happened.

Their run took them just one mile from the square, and with no one to stop them, only took thirty minutes to reach, too. As they ran, each of them took note of how badly the city was looking, and where the corruption seemed worst. It was obvious that it didn't matter; no matter where they went or what road they took, the result was the same. Those horrifying veins were everywhere, some climbing up taller buildings like ivy, others boring through smaller buildings like some sort of living, throbbing drill. It was really quite disturbing.

They stopped when they finally reached the Kaiba Corp building. All around them, the damage was at its worst. Not only were the veins and arteries thickest in this section of the city, but patches of the ground began to turn pink and green, pulsing just as the veins around them did. Wisely, the three spirits avoided such patches. But what they couldn't avoid was the realization that they had no time at all. The city was more than just being eaten; it was growing into _something_. Miraculously, though, Kaiba Corp was just about the only building that survived.

"…Kaiba was right," Yami said in defeat, as the three looked upon the large tower, "The city's turning into some kind of… of _thing_. But why was he spared?" Bakura glanced at the old king, not wanting to tell him that he seemed happy that Kaiba might be hurt. Yami didn't notice the glance, however. He was too focused on the tower. Veins snaked all around it, covering the courtyard, but something about the tower repelled them.

"I think we'd better help him," Ishtar said, when neither thief nor king moved for some time. Both of them agreed with him, but only gave a nod of acknowledgment. Whatever was happening was too terrible for words. And without one, the three of them ran right over the veins, and toward the door into the building. They could only pray everyone was alive in there.

---

"I can't believe Mel would come this way," Matt commented sourly, as he and Ryou held onto Sith's arms as she tried to fly across the straight onto the small island beyond. They had left the city some time ago, but with no way to actually cross the water, Sith was forced to fly them over. And with how tired she was, it was a poor idea indeed.

"More importantly, I can't believe I'm carrying you two," she retorted, brows creased, "My god, humans are heavy." Ryou could only snort. He remembered having to carry Sith around numerous times. It was like carrying a boulder. A soft, breathing boulder. He just looked up at her sympathetically.

"If you want, you can drop Matt into the ocean," he joked, but the look on Sith's face, along with the deadly glare Matt threw him, told him it wasn't taken too well.

"Say that shit again and I'll shoot you as I'm falling," Matt threatened angrily. Sith said nothing, but was aware that she'd have to act if this behavior continued. As much as she cared about Matt, she couldn't let him kill Ryou.

Thankfully, nothing else happened. Ryou got the message very clearly. And wisely, he chose to keep his mouth closed. Unfortunately, it made for a terrible trip. Not that it took overly long – the straight was barely more than half a mile wide – but Ryou preferred to have Sith speaking to him, as opposed to having both her and Matt angry with him. He knew he had a higher chance of living if Sith wasn't mad.

The banks of the island came into view, and Sith began to descend. For her, it was a good rest. Matt and Ryou proved to be too much of a load for her; even Espers had their limits, after all. But for the two humans she had to carry with her, it was nothing short of a bumpy ride, resulting in a landing that practically slammed them into the ground. The tide, thankfully, was high. They landed primarily in a soggy patch of grass that absorbed most of the impact. Only Sith managed to make it through relatively well, however. And that was because she wasn't on the receiving end of the impact.

"Are you okay?" she asked, when she realized how badly she landed. She pulled Ryou up and quickly looked him over. He had a few scrapes and some dirt on him, but otherwise, he was okay. She sighed a breath of relief, "You're okay."

"If we were too heavy, you should've said so," Ryou grumbled, spitting dirt out of his mouth in the process. At that, Sith just let him drop. She stood there with her arms crossed, and looked at him incredulously for a moment.

"I _did_," she pointed out after that moment, and Matt just started laughing. If there was one thing he could count on with Sith, it was the fact that, aside from probably killing them, she was willing to shove their own words right in their faces when it was _least_ convenient.

But Sith wasn't in the mood for playing for long. As soon as she saw that both of her friends were more or less _alive_, she turned and looked at the only structure on the island. A small cave opening that seemed to lead underground. And it was etched all over her face that she didn't want to go in there. Ryou couldn't help but wonder why. As a warrior of legend, she must've been pretty used to traveling in dungeons… right?

"Sith?" he called. Sith glanced at him for a second, and then looked down.

"Don't ever tell anyone this, Ryou," she said quietly, "But I'm afraid of the dark." Ryou's mouth dropped. _That_ was why she didn't want to go inside? Because she was afraid of the _darkness?_ Ryou thought that was a pretty silly reason. Sith had, after all, slaughtered the darkness many times before. This was just a cave. This was the equivalent of a child using a toilet. Second nature. Why the sudden warning now?

Ryou didn't ask. Sith had already gone in before he could, and knowing what might happen if she went too far ahead, he went in after her. The cavern was nothing _but_ darkness, and Ryou couldn't even see the entrance when he turned back, not even three feet in. Now he understood Sith's hesitancy. Should they be attacked, there was little to aid them except to draw a weapon and just go berserk. And _only_ Sith was skilled with that kind of maneuver.

They continued deeper, though how far they'd gone, Ryou didn't know. It was evident that Sith wouldn't be lighting anything to help them, so he had to guess, using only his ears to keep track of their footfalls. And that was something he couldn't do. He wasn't sure which was more distracting. The dripping of the water, or Matt's constant chattering about Mello doing this, or Mello wanting to shoot that. He almost wished Mello were _right there_ just to shut Matt up for a few minutes.

"I mean, seriously, Sith. Why would Mello even come here?" Matt asked her, and Ryou found he couldn't take it much longer. He stopped, and Matt crashed right into him. He wasn't sure how, but he just knew it was Matt.

"If Mello is so wonderful, why don't you just marry him!?" Ryou demanded hotly, and found even he was surprised by the fury in his voice. Sith finally lit a torch to see what had happened, and was amused to find Matt was only grinning at the suggestion. He straightened his goggles.

"I _tried_, but, you know… Sith kind of got in my way a bit," he joked, and flashed a brilliant smile Sith's way, "You know, 'cause you and Mello were in love and shit like that?" He was _almost_ funny, but the truth to that statement threw both Ryou and Sith the wrong way. Sith frowned.

"I'm sorry that _shit like that_ ruined your day," she growled, and stiffly went ahead of them. Matt just sat there, blinking for a very long time. He wasn't sure why such a statement pissed her off so much; he always used to joke about them before and it never made her angry. Was there a memo he'd missed somewhere?

Ryou managed to have the decency to pull Matt up. He looked toward the corridor Sith had walked down. There was an intersection some distance away, but Sith herself had been obscured. Deciding to take whatever path felt best, Ryou walked with Matt and asked, "You don't think she still loves him anymore?" Matt looked up at him for a moment. Then he frowned softly.

"I know she does," the red-head said honestly, "It isn't _them_ I'm worried about." Ryou understood what he was saying. He looked away shamefully.

"It's me," Ryou concluded, and Matt nodded approvingly, "What did I do?"

"Ryou, you're still a child, so you don't understand how complicated things get when you find someone you can love," Matt told him, and his words stung Ryou, "Look, I'm not saying you're immature, even though you kind of are. But you don't know the whole story. You don't know what they both went through, just to make it out alive." Ryou's anger disappeared. Matt was right. He didn't have any idea just how bad things could get. Now he considered that. Mello was _human_, and Sith was a _renegade Esper_. That was enough to put a lot of problems on them.

"What… what happened?" Ryou asked, "I mean, you said Mello had to almost kill himself…"

"That wasn't all of it," Matt said quietly, "But it was a decent chunk of it. Ryou, I'm guessing Sith doesn't remember too much, even though her memories are coming back in full force. Do you know the last world she was in?" Ryou shook his head. Sith had never really spoken about her past, aside from the false one that she created in _his_ world.

"Well, it was _mine_," Matt continued calmly, "Mine and Mello's. That's a world corrupted with death and destruction. There were so many webs and layers of lies and deceit, not even Sith knew where to begin with it.

"I never quite understood what drove her to come there in the first place, I'll be perfectly honest," Matt went on, and Ryou saw his eyes gleam from inside his goggles, "But she had her reasons, and Mel never questioned them unless he knew she was safe. But anyway… according to her, the power of death was a power meant only for creatures of _neutral chaos_. I never understood what that meant, but Mello said that was why she was there. Because there was a power imbalance in our world." Ryou only nodded. That sounded like Sith.

"What did she do?" Ryou asked breathlessly, looking to see if Sith was close. He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate the history as much as he would. Matt's smile began to return.

"She found out that the same thing that caused the warp of power was the guy _we_ were going after," Matt told him casually, and laughed, "She met Mello because his team cornered _her_, thinking _she_ was involved in the killings because of her insanely powerful spells. It didn't take long for her to _convince_ him not to off her." Ryou couldn't help but laugh. Sith with a sword was a pretty good reason not to cross her. Sith charging a _Meteor_ spell was a good reason to just run away. Matt shook his head and said, "Man, she gave that poor guy hell… oh! Sith?" They had walked farther than Ryou thought. Sith had stopped some feet away, and glanced over when she heard Matt. She looked… confused?

"I've found something," she told them as they ran toward her, Matt stopping at her side, "What in hell could this be?" She pointed to the ground, and Ryou saw that there was a pulsing pink tile, with a blue gem in its center. It was a strange piece to have, just sitting in the dirt as it was.

"Should we step on it?" Matt asked her, scratching his head. He wasn't particularly versed when it came to magic, but he'd been around Sith long enough to know when he was staring at a piece of it. Sith hummed, and then shook her head.

"If it's a trap, we'd be falling right into it," she said after a moment. Ryou, of course, already found a way around that. He found a stick in the dirt, and knowing Sith was probably too cautious to try it out herself, and knowing that she certainly wouldn't like it if he _pushed_ her, he prodded it with his tool. It took two seconds for the stick to disappear.

"S-Sith…" Ryou began, and backed away when the tile started glowing, "_SITH!_" And just like that, Ryou Bakura disappeared.

Sith understood now that what she had found was a portal. Where it lead, she didn't know, but she had no time to debate it. Ryou needed her; wherever he ended up, he needed her _now_, and she couldn't let him down. He was so much like her… her brother. Sith's face paled. Why did this seem so familiar to her? She didn't know, but right then, she had other pressing matters. Despite Matt's displeasure, Sith jumped into the portal. And like Ryou, she was whisked away in a black of light.

She was spat out a second later, however, in a cavern that was both very similar and yet not quite exactly the same as the one she'd just left. She landed on the floor in a tumble, and looked around. She was slightly disoriented, and now she couldn't even see. But she was aware that the space she was in was narrow, stretching off from left to right for some time. And that something was next to her, too. Tentatively, she reached for it. It was… a shirt. It must've been Ryou.

"Sith?" Ryou whispered, and when she nodded – he couldn't see it, but he knew she had – he hugged her tightly and said, "Now I know why you hate the darkness. That was terrifying!"

"Aye, teleportation's a power not favored by me. But I'm glad you survived," Sith replied, ruffling the boy's hair, "Now the question is, did Matt?" Ryou frowned, realizing Matt hadn't even come through yet. Was it possible the man ran away?

"_SHIT!_" came a cry behind them, and a second later, they heard a heavy thump as Matt collided unhappily with the cold dirt, "Damn it, my ass!" Ryou couldn't help but chuckle. Sith, on the other hand, sighed and shook her head.

After making sure Matt wasn't too badly injured, Sith led him and Ryou through the narrow, winding corridors. Without light, she had to tread carefully, but she was too afraid to try and light a torch. If there were enemies about, that light would give them away instantly. Unfortunately, light would've also revealed anything in the way. Namely, the chest Sith managed to slam into. Ryou winced as he heard the resounding _crack_ as her shin hit it, and then a heavy thud as she fell to the ground. Surely, she must've at least sprained an ankle.

"A chest?" Ryou asked, as Matt ran over to help Sith, saying, "Who the hell puts a chest in the middle of a hallway!?" Sith groaned miserably as she was hoisted to her feet, but what happened next made her forget her pain. At least temporarily. And only because the chest was _speaking_.

"_Hey! Just what do you brats think you're doing!?_" the chest asked, in a surprisingly sarcastic tone, "_Don't you people know who I am!?_" Sith blinked, and considered lighting a torch to see what was currently yelling at her. She looked to Matt. He shrugged.

"Looks like a talking chest to me," the red-head said unhelpfully, "But to hell if _I've_ ever seen one." Sith briefly considered setting _Matt_ on fire. His recklessness and stupidity was far worse than the human torch he'd make. The chest certainly didn't like his reply, in any case.

"_What are they teaching you kids in school these days!? For YOUR information, I'm Mimic,_" the chest said furiously, "_A little respect would be nice!_"

"Dude, it's not my fault that _chests_ are meant to be kept closed and _not talk_!" Matt yelled back, his brows creasing as he challenged the enraged box, "So why don't you _clam it!?_"

"_Oh, so that's how is it, huh? You think I'm just here to hold your stinkin' crap for ages on end!? Not a damn chance, kiddo!_" Mimic scoffed, "_The last time someone came to me, they took a shit in my mouth, thinking I was some sort of toilet! No way am I doing that again!_" Ryou was pretty sure Matt was going to lose it soon, and it didn't seem like Sith was going to step in, either. He took a breath. If they had any chance of getting a new ally, it'd rest with diplomacy. Ryou had no idea how he'd fare, but he understood he was currently the best candidate for it. And that was a little pathetic, too.

"We're looking for some friends of ours," he said simply, and Sith stared for a long moment, "If you help us, we'll leave you alone forever." He could feel Sith twitch in disapproval, but it wasn't as if she was doing any better. Besides, he managed to at least get the chest's attention. For now, anyway. The chest hummed.

"_I like that offer, kid, so I'll help you out_," Mimic said, "_But I don't move just like that. I need to eat coral to get out of your way._" Ryou sighed. He really didn't want to do another fetch quest. But he remembered the basis of how they had gotten there at all: this world was originally a portal to a _video game_, where fetch quests were staple. Doing one at some point only made sense.

"If we feed you, will you let us pass?" he asked in annoyance. The chest, if it could have, would have nodded. His next words brought no comfort to any of them.

"_You got my word, kids,_" Mimic replied happily, "_Just know, I eat a ton of coral._"

After that, Ryou and his two companions promptly left, with Sith taking the lead to find the right way to go. Mimic had pointed them initially in the right direction, but Sith hadn't been so sure about trusting the creature. And as they walked down the narrow tunnel, with no turns and a dead end soon approaching, she found her feelings were right. When they came across another warp pad, she found herself willing to go back and slaughter Mimic. What form of mockery did he just commit!?

"Should we take it?" Ryou asked, his face barely illuminated in the soft, pink glow. Sith's visage, or what he could see of it, told him she didn't want to try. She snorted.

"What other choice do we have?" she asked sarcastically, "Damned thing led us in a dead end. Only one way to go, unless we want to leave." Ryou wisely left it at that, and walked onto the panel. Its glow grew brighter, and he found himself thrust mercilessly through space, for a split second, and spat back out in another cavern, similar to where he had been, but this one had a stalactite poking from the middle of the ceiling. He saw no such thing earlier.

Sith and Matt joined him seconds later, the former coming through in a roll, the latter landing flat on his back when he was spat out. Now Sith lit a small spell, no longer worried about a battle. She doubted anyone from Thamasa, or from Mobliz, had followed them this far, and monsters were no match for her, either. But the only thing she saw were rocks and mounds. And passages. There were five passages connecting to this chamber. Matt stared at all of them, and then glanced at Sith.

"Er, Sith? Any thoughts?" Matt asked her. He didn't need to tell her the obvious problem. Her frown worsened.

"Coral probably grows all over this cavern," she guessed, looking around, "I'm not quite sure if any limitations are on us, because this 'quest' was in the game we were thrown into, but my good guess is, it won't matter how much we collect. Just to be safe, we should probably split up and cover more ground." Ryou didn't like that idea in the least. Neither he nor Matt were particularly skilled in dealing with demons _alone_.

"And the monsters?" he asked, raising a brow. Sith's frown faded only slightly. She was already one step ahead on that strategy. Ra only knew what that could mean.

"I'll be fine. Zealacht will handle it on my end," she told him, "As for you, I'd summon Zerrkandr and use it to dispel the monsters." Ryou blinked, nearly forgetting that he, like Sith, wielded a legendary blade now. But there was one problem. He left his sword in their world. When he said this, Sith merely replied with, "Then call it."

"Sith…" he mumbled in annoyance, but he took her word for it. If she thought it would come, maybe it could. She knew more about those swords than he did, after all. Closing his eyes, he summoned the blade's name into his mind again and again. At first, he felt only slight traces of magic; then, that feeling grew, and he felt something _appear in his hand_. He cracked an eye open. Zerrkandr was in his hand. His eyes widened, and he looked up to tell Sith. But he found she was no longer there.

"She left," Matt told him, seeing his perplexed look, "Come on. We'd better get moving, too."

The tunnels twisted and wound around at several degrees, going in angles that Ryou assumed were impossible to scale. Yet Matt plowed through with determination, obviously wanting to keep better pace than Sith was. The slight tracks told them she had taken the higher passage, which left them with the rockier, somewhat uneven one. Matt's endeavor, however noble it seemed to him, looked a bit ridiculous to Ryou. Sith could've easily outpaced them even if she took the most difficult path in the mountains.

Their saving grace was the fact that the passage was relatively straightforward. Sith's, at a higher slope, must've overlooked theirs regularly, even sprawled out into several branches if she was unlucky. All _they_ had to do was keep going forward. That meant there wasn't much chance of an ambush, and that they wouldn't miss any coral they passed. That was, in Ryou's mind, more of an asset than Zerrkandr was.

"Think Sith's doing any better up there?" he asked absently, when Matt stopped to look at what could've passed for a rock. Matt hummed, his eyes glinting in the faint light Ryou's sword created. In the light, the rock looked too jagged, too edgy. And it smelled, too.

"Nope," Matt said with a grin, pocketing the rock, "We just found ourselves a nice chunk of coral. I doubt she has, yet."

"Why's that?" Ryou asked him suspiciously, now understanding why Matt hadn't tried to stop Sith. He had a feeling the red-head let Sith take the easier passage on purpose.

"Because coral grows in moist soil. The higher up you go, the drier it gets," Matt told him, and laughed, "I'd have thought Sith knew this one." Ryou didn't think leaving her up there was funny, but if she hadn't known, she could only blame herself for it. He shrugged, turning back toward the path. There was another piece of coral dead ahead.

"Maybe she won't be angry," Ryou offered. Matt picked up the coral and pocketed it, going not even ten steps further before taking another piece. They must've found a whole mine of it!

"Nah, she probably won't be," he agreed casually. Ryou wasn't too comfortable with how easily he said that. Sith was easy to anger. And if Matt tricked her, he probably wouldn't live to see the next day. She might even let _him_ deal with Hidon as punishment. As much as Ryou didn't like Matt, he knew he didn't deserve that sort of treatment.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a main chamber, and Ryou saw that one of the other passages crossed it as well. He and Matt sat down as soon as they came inside, and laid the coral out on the ground. Together, they managed nearly ten pieces. Ten rather decent-sized pieces. Mimic should've been pleased; the only question was if Sith managed to gather any. If what Matt said was true, there was a chance she'd be back empty-handed. Ryou looked back, considering going to get a few more pieces.

Sith came back before he could. Ryou smiled at her as she approached, and she nodded, laying down only three pieces. Matt stared at her, and Ryou understood that they might not have enough, after all. Sith said nothing; she simply sat down across from them, crossing her arms. Ryou waited several minutes, and when no one spoke, he asked the question he'd been asking himself for some time.

"Is it enough?" he asked, his voice cutting through the silence. Sith blinked, looking at what was gathered. In all honesty, she had no idea. It'd depend on Mimic's mood.

"It should be," Matt said hesitantly, glancing at Sith, "How much can a chest eat, anyway?" Sith snorted, standing up and using her cape to hold the pieces as she picked them up. Ryou stood as well, using his sword to provide her with light.

"If it isn't, I'll set it on fire," she told them with a grin. Ryou knew that _that_ would convince the chest to move. Or just kill it. As a wooden chest, Mimic would probably fall easily to a good blast of fire or two.

Beyond the chamber, another warp pad waited for them, and without hesitation, Sith stepped onto it. They were taken immediately to where Mimic was, and in all her usual annoyance and impatience, Sith threw the pieces at the chest's proverbial feet. They clinked off loudly, and Ryou wondered if Mimic had been sleeping before Sith's rude awakening. The chest yawned loudly. It hadn't drowned out Sith's sharp tone, however, as she gestured to the scattered pieces with her outstretched arm.

"Here is your coral," she snapped, "Now let us pass." Ryou and Matt eyed her curiously, knowing she was offending the chest. But she didn't appear to care. Mimic regarded her carefully as she spoke. Humans, he could deal with. But he understood this one, by the outline of her ears, was no human. He should have known by her silence earlier.

His silence was not well received, as Sith rose a slender brow and asked, "Well?" Mimic huffed, and then tipped forward, gobbling up all of the coral in one bite. The crunching sounds were disgusting, but in about thirty seconds, he had devoured all of their food. In another ten, if he didn't move, he'd be eating fire as well.

"_GWAAAAH! Now I'm stuffed!_" the chest said happily, "_Can't eat another bite! Well, guess I'd better get out of your way, kiddies. Good luck._" The chest wisely vanished into thin air, leaving the three alone, with nowhere to go but ahead; Ryou was sure the warp pads were inactive now. He looked down at Sith as he stood by her side. She regarded the darkness with hesitancy.

"Ready?" he asked, knowing the pressing darkness was getting to her. She nodded.

Hidon was within the chamber that Mimic had opened up. As they walked in, they were surprised to see the monster was in the center. But he was asleep, on a circular nest made of dead grass, dirt, and to Ryou's horror, human bones. Using Zerrkandr as a light, Ryou held the sword out, and saw that most of Hidon himself was bone. There were only a few tufts of green hide, with only sparse amounts of fur, hanging off of those bones. He was serpentine in appearance, with two thick, bony back legs, and the same forelegs as well. His wings had long since rotted out. But what truly worried Ryou was his head; it was like that of a centipede, with two huge, closed eyes on the sides of the head, and six smaller ones on the top. Ryou forced himself to stop. Was it actually asleep?

"Think we should sneak up and steal the ship?" Matt whispered, and Sith wished he hadn't spoken a damn word. His voice, quiet as he tried to be, boomed right through the cavern. Hidon cracked open an eye, and then his ghastly head rose, spraying ancient dirt and mold everywhere.

"Who dares to wake me up!?" Hidon roared angrily, tossing his head until he caught Ryou's scent, "…! Humans again! Have you never learned your mistakes!?" His mouth opened, revealing thousands of pointed, craggy teeth, rich with the rancid smell of fetid flesh. Ryou felt his stomach churn. Now they were in for it.

"You may think humans are ridiculous, but how dare you threaten _me_," Sith said quickly, and Ryou's mouth dropped as she stepped toward the massive creature, "You have defied death long enough. Tell me where to find Mello, or I will annihilate you like the vermin you are!" Her sharp tone, mixed with her nerve, threw the monster off guard. But he heard her accent clearly – this was no fool human. They had finally brought an Esper with them.

"An Esper?" Hidon asked curiously, though he sensed that hadn't brought Sith's fury down any faster, "How intriguing. I did not think your kind would bother with me."

"My kind does not, but I'm of a different make," Sith told him warily, still aiming her sword, "I sensed your power when we entered this cavern; I knew I'd have to destroy you before we left. That was why that old man sent us down here. To die."

"_What!?_" Matt shrieked, staring at the woman as if she'd gone insane. There was a wild gleam to her eyes, though. She knew Strago had lied to her, knew that Mello was not here. And she came anywhere. But what was her reasoning?

"I will let you live, because I have no need to exhaust myself," Sith continued, as if Matt hadn't spoken, "All I require are answers. Help me, and we will leave – without a fight." Hidon considered her greatly. She could have easily torn him apart, he understood, with only one of her spells. But she was opting not to. Perhaps that was good. He didn't actually want to die, not yet. He leaned back a bit.

"What do you seek, Esper?" he asked her. Sith's answer was quick.

"Get us to Kefka's Tower," she replied, and the answer shocked the monster before her. Information was one thing; but to go out and actually fly toward civilization? That was not in his terms of banishment. He could not go where he wasn't allowed. Strago, that conniving man, really did mean for these three to die. Hidon smiled. He wouldn't be giving death this day, not for his hated rival.

"I cannot go, not on the grounds I currently stand," the monster said with a sly grin, "But I have another way to help you, Esper. During my travels, I have acquired a number of vessels to display. One of them…" He said nothing more, just motioned behind him, toward his trove of treasures. Sith looked, and watched as Matt and Ryou ran toward it, their eyes wide. It was shimmering brightly, a terrible contrast to the blackness of the cave around them. Beautiful gems and coins, silvers and coppers of all sizes, enchanted weapons and mystical armor… there was enough to sustain a kingdom!

But Sith was not looking at the treasure. She had her own trove, somewhere, and had no need for such mundane things. What had truly caught her eye was the vessel _behind_ the treasure, big and daunting in the shadows, but well-preserved and cared for. It could easily fit the three of them, and many, many more. And though she could only barely see it, she saw there was a deck equipped with cannons, and she felt the magical ballistics within. She smiled. What she was looking at was their invasion onto Falnika's final hiding spot.

What she was looking at was an airship.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After scouring the island, and the cavern that Strago directed them to, Ryou and his friends come face to face with Hidon, the terrifying monster of Ebot's Rock. After a generous offer from Sith, where she promises not to kill him, he directs the group to the airship they need. Can they get to Kefka's tower now? Or has Mello moved elsewhere? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	21. Born Free, Died not so Free

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy, Death Note, or Castlevania. I'm getting tired of listing all these people, but they said I have to. So, without further ado, YGO is owned by Takahashi, Final Fantasy is owned by SquareSoft, Death Note is owned by Ohba, and Konami owns Castlevania. Also, this disclaimer is way too long.

"_Elocht du Zellos_!!" Sith screamed, which translated roughly to 'damn it all to Zellos' in the Esper tongue. They had found the airship, but soon enough, they found an even bigger problem: they had to actually get the ship out. And it was grafted into the side of the cavern wall, making that ordeal treacherous at best. At first, Sith had tried using her affinity for space to get it to move, but it did no good. The airship was fortified with ancient ore; no spell would touch it. And to top it off, Hidon had no reason to help them. He merely watched in amusement as the Esper, such a tiny creature compared to him, continued to slander her own gods over the hand she was dealt.

Ryou and Matt had to give up quickly. As humans, they lacked the strength needed to push the ship anywhere, and it seemed more often than not that they simply got in Sith's way. Matt had gone to try and convince Hidon to help, but Ryou stayed, knowing that if it got too tough, Sith would simply push herself until she died. He had prayed that it wouldn't reach that point, but Sith was simply too stubborn. She refused to believe she couldn't move the damn ship. But when she finally collapsed, Ryou had to force her to stop.

"Sith, you can't keep doing this, you're going to kill yourself," Ryou said firmly, walking over and taking her wrist, "We'll find a different way." Sith wasn't easy to convince, however. She shrugged him off.

"I will _not_ stop until I'm dead," she growled, and resumed her work, "Mello needs us, Ryou. I won't let him die." Ryou just stared for a moment. Then he just shook his head in frustration. He was prepared to let Sith go, but not when it could kill her.

"And what will I tell him if _you_ die?" the white-haired man asked her, "You know he'd kill me." Surprisingly, that actually made Sith stop. She regarded her companion curiously, and then snorted, turning back to the ship.

"You're right. He would," she wisely agreed. She took a step, looking at her progress. She hadn't done anything at all, despite the effort she put in. Maybe taking the ship wasn't the best idea. Perhaps she should just fly to Kefka.

She shrugged the notion away. Her wings barely worked, and she was in no way strong enough to carry Ryou or Matt that far. If she were to fly, it would be alone. And even then, it was suicide. If Mello hadn't gone to the tower, she'd be forced to traverse it alone. And for all of her strength, for her legend, and for herself, Sith Winchester knew she'd never make it out of there alive. She sighed. This was just too damn hard.

"I'm one for just busting the damn thing up right now," she said tiredly, and Ryou just patted her back. For all her bluster, Ryou found he couldn't blame the older woman. They'd worked hard to get here; it was almost cruel that their new airship was trapped in a rocky prison. In his peripheral vision, Ryou saw Matt walking back. The damned idiot was grinning, too.

"Don't do a thing, Sith," the red-head called, and Sith turned, "I got a buddy to help us out, babe." Sith blinked for a long moment. Matt, and help, surely didn't mix in her mind, and her expression clearly said that. Ryou nearly laughed, except he knew Matt hated him almost as much as Mello did.

"And what, dare I ask, is this help?" she asked, though Sith knew above all else that she did not truly want to know.

Sith barely had her memories, but she remembered enough to know that she should never have trusted Matt with a task like 'speaking to Hidon.' When she originally gave the order, it was simply to see if the monster had another way to get to the tower. But Matt, ridiculous, somewhat half-assed _Matt_, took her order in a totally different direction. And now, as they stood there, watching what was in her mind, the worst idea ever, she knew she should've expected what had come to pass. Not only did Matt speak to Hidon, he managed to screw it up royally.

But perhaps Sith was being too harsh. Hidon had managed to get the ship out of the rock; he literally rammed the craggy wall until it collapsed, revealing the hazy, evening sky to them. All Sith could do was watch in speechlessness. Technically, Matt had done as she asked. But _technically_, he was supposed to ask for a _new_ vessel, not for the undead beast to kill itself a second time. Sith wasn't sure how she should've reacted. _Technically_ was an ironic word. It meant anything could've happened at any situation and that its user _allowed_ room for errors and mishaps. Sith, however, hadn't done so. She didn't think she had to.

"At least we have the ship," Ryou tried to reason, when they climbed onto the deck. Sith glanced at him suspiciously, wondering why he was trying to side with Matt. As far as she saw it, they had a vessel, but there was a chance the monster managed to break it as well.

That wasn't the case, however, when Sith took control and managed to get the engine to start. With Matt as a guide, she angled the ship and they left without another word to the dazed monster. Soon, they had left Ebot's Rock altogether, as well as the knowledge that Strago had meant to kill them there. But that knowledge was what led to Sith's drawing silence. Ryou glanced at her as the ocean began to sprawl out around them.

"How's it feel to drive a ship?" he asked her quietly. She looked at him, and then laughed, her grim visage cracking a bit.

"As normal as magic, to be honest," she replied, "I had an uncle that created these, back in my own world. I must have flown a few in my time." Ryou didn't doubt that. Sith had flown the ships in _his own_ world without so much as a crash to mar her record. And for her _physical_ age, which looked around twenty-three, that was a pretty good feat. It certainly was better than his father's own record.

"Good to know," Matt commented, as if he'd participated at all. Sith and Ryou both turned to him, and his eyes glinted again as he asked, "So, where are we going now?"

"We _could_ head right to Kefka's tower and intercept Mello," she began, but Ryou noticed that her tone suggested she had other ideas, "But I think we need a few things. It's finally coming to my attention that we have a very real problem in proper magical support. We'll need to change that." Neither Ryou nor Matt seemed to sit well with that idea, for there were many, more pressing matters that concerned all of them. Mello was one of them, and Falnika was the other. And if both collided, the damage would probably be catastrophic.

"Sith, what about Falnika?" Ryou reminded her in exasperation, "Don't we need to stop her?"

"And you're going to expect me to actually use _all_ of my power to support us?" she countered angrily, and Ryou hushed, "That's a big expectation, one I won't be fulfilling. Besides, where I'm taking us will allow you both to see firsthand the powers that allow my kind to live." Ryou had thought he saw those very powers just fine, and Matt seemed to agree. They both continued to stare for a long moment.

"Why?" Matt finally asked flatly. Sith eyed him for a moment before her own smirk crossed her face again. Ryou did_ not_ like that look. At all.

"Because only magic can kill the monsters within the place I'm heading," she replied. That caused both men's skepticism to rise. That meant _only_ Sith would be fighting! Matt had no magic, and Ryou's magic was simply a heightened perception of evil and power.

"Sith, have you lost your goddamn _mind!?_" Matt blurted out, "You have _any_ idea how ballistic Mello will go if you die!?"

"What on earth is in the tower, anyway?" Ryou demanded, and Sith's look went flat. Obviously, she didn't appreciate her friends' concerns, or their doubts of her. She held the wheel for a minute, nearly halting the ship.

"An artifact that has many different names in many different worlds. Here, it's known as the Gem Box, but in many others, it's called Shalidor's Coffer," Sith told him, "As for why I want it, should I get it and bring it out of this world, I will be able to cast two spells at once." Ryou's mouth dropped, and he didn't need Sith to continue on with the possibilities. Two blasts of any one of her spells would kill most monsters; Two blasts of any _forbidden_ spell would kill most monsters, and everything else within a few miles, excluding Sith. Now he understood her reasoning.

"You think you could actually get it?" he asked in barely a whisper. Sith laughed again. If he honestly thought it'd be that easy, Ryou had no idea how the world really worked. She shook her head.

"Not easily," she replied, "There is someone guarding this sacred treasure, one not even I can take lightly. Like myself, he possesses the Five Forbidden spells, and unlike me, he _can_ use them." Ryou's eyes widened. Now he was afraid again. Of course someone that strong would guard such a powerful item. He should've known. But… how?

"How can someone else know those spells!?" he asked her, as Matt slowly processed what she was saying. Sith turned to Ryou fully, and he said, "You've released them again, but you said no one else could possibly learn them!"

"There are others older than myself," she said simply, "The one we will face is a direct messenger of Kratz himself."

"Shit," Matt mumbled, and both his companions regarded him, "Sith, do you know him?" Sith nodded grimly. Ryou couldn't hide his terror at that statement. And neither could Matt. _Sith_ knew who they were fighting, and though Ryou didn't know who Kratz was, he knew he was an evil god, one Sith did _not_ follow. At least, one she didn't appear to like too much.

"I know both this messenger and Kratz himself," Sith admitted, shocking them both again, "Kratz will not be angry, should I unleash chaos here, but he certainly wouldn't like my killing his minion. Now do you understand, Ryou?" Ryou did not, he admitted. If Sith wasn't going to unleash those spells, then how was she going to possibly win? Was it possible Kratz forbid anyone to harm her? No… that couldn't have been. Sith was no follower of his, or of many of the gods she'd told Ryou of. Then, what was her plan?

Ryou didn't have time to ask. Sith continued the course, and it was her grim expression that kept him silent. He knew the memories she was experiencing were only getting more painful as time passed, and this must not have been a particularly good one. But, damn it, the more time they spent away, the further away they were becoming from Malik and Yugi! Ryou had little idea where they could've been, but he had a feeling, a slight one, that Mello had taken them with him as well. But if Sith knew this, she had never once mentioned it. Surely, she should have.

An hour later, going far northwest of the rock, Ryou spotted land below them. It looked like a narrow strip, stretching northwest from their position, to the far east. He recognized the landscape; they had been there not even a day ago! It dawned on him that this world must not have been very big. Perhaps there was no worry, with what Sith was doing. Ryou continued looking, and as Sith continued driving, he saw an even smaller break in the strip, slanting southwest. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see beyond that.

What he saw was that the strip connected to a huge continent, comprised of nothing more than barren, dead plains and nothing more. Ryou shivered. He felt no trace of human life for some time, no trace of _any_ life, and did not know who had caused it. He had considered Falnika, for her power was far deadlier than even Sith, but Kefka was a likely candidate as well. He had nearly killed them. But then again, he too was halted by Sith eventually. Far more disconcerting than that, however, was the power Ryou did feel. It was nothing like Sith's, and only slightly similar to what Amber's had been, when the Mystic had still been alive. Only far more powerful, far more suffocating. He knew that, if it hadn't already breached the barriers Sith had warned him of, it soon would. Was his world safe at that moment?

"Ryou, are you okay?" Matt asked, noticing the boy's growing silence. Ryou blinked, but did not turn. For an instant, they had gone uncomfortably close to that source of evil energy, but abruptly, Sith had turned more northward, and the feeling diminished slightly.

"I felt something," Ryou said gently, and glanced as Matt joined him at the rails, "Evil magic?"

"We're close to this world's pinnacle of power," Matt commented, and Ryou looked over at him, "Kefka's tower. I'm not surprised you can feel it, too." Ryou's brows went up. Matt implied he felt it, too. And perhaps he had. Did he have magic, then?

"But what can it mean?" Ryou asked him, and Matt stared in concern, "I mean, it's powerful… suppose it's already in another world, too." Matt's lips thinned. Ryou guessed the man was already two steps ahead of that. He continued with, "Suppose Mello and the others walked right into it."

"I have no doubt the idiot's going there full force," Matt said grimly, and his eyes narrowed behind his goggles, "And I also have no doubt that this Mystic of ours is sending her new power throughout any network this world has. That's probably why Sith's collecting this world's artifact. She's probably not thinking she's very strong right now." Ryou frowned a bit, looking at Matt once again. He'd have liked it if the man was joking, but Matt wasn't all fun and games. Now he was serious. He meant what he said.

"Can she win?" Ryou asked him in barely a whisper. Matt's expression broke slightly, and Ryou could tell he was losing confidence as well. Despite the lack of direct damage, they were losing ground with every second.

"I don't know. That box of hers will help, but..." Matt sighed, shaking his head, "I'm not sure. If Falnika's been to other worlds, she must have other artifacts to counter Sith. Even with Shalidor's Coffer, Sith might not have an advantage. Falnika might have even taken it by now." Ryou didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to know what other trinkets were waiting to drain Sith's already dwindling energy. He returned his gaze to the ocean. The currents were raging near that large continent, he noted.

"Matt… how many artifacts are there?" Ryou asked him, "What are they? What do they do?" Matt looked up. Sith had asked him, some twenty years ago, never to tell anyone of them. She couldn't trust Mello not to look for them, but she had confided in Matt. Could he break her trust like that? He knew he had to.

"Not many. Normally, every twenty worlds to one has one," the red-head replied, "Every world has a core item that supplies it with magic, but normally those are _shards of time_. Some, however, are legendary weapons and artifacts crafted from Espers, as early as Sith's time at least.

"I'm not sure what they do. Zealacht is one of them, and your sword's another," Matt continued, now looking up at Ryou, "Mello's rifle is a third one, and Aeon has a few _shards of time_ on him." That explained why all three of them were so powerful. But if they all were heading for Kefka's tower… that meant they'd be bringing artifacts right to Falnika. Matt seemed to sense his thoughts, for he said, "Sith isn't stupid. Falnika could never wield Zealacht, Zerrkandr, or any artifact we have." Ryou considered that, and it made sense. Their weapons were forged with holy magic, after all. The wicked could never touch them, and he couldn't imagine anyone _but_ Sith wielding her legendary sword.

"I hope so," Ryou said, but Matt, so intent on Sith's concern and the location of his dear friend, barely heard him.

They landed some time later, when the sun had fully set and the air was thin with the cold. There were no stars out that night, and the shadows of the circling mountains around them cast darkness over everything. Sith had been forced to land on a miniscule clearing within these ranges; most of the dot on land in the center of the circle was occupied by a gigantic, ninety-story tower that stretched higher than most of the mountains. Ryou guessed – no, he knew! – that this was the tower Sith had wanted to come to. The power emanating from it was terrifyingly palpable. As if the pulsing purple lights weren't sign enough for it.

Ryou wasn't quite sure what scared him more, as Sith led them from the ship to the tower's front doors; the sheer size of the massive structure, or the men directly outside of it. There were seven of them, all dressed in white, but they appeared to be frozen in time. They did not move, and didn't appear to even breathe as Sith and her companions passed. Ryou stopped, looking at one of them. He felt no evil, but he felt no good, either. He felt, in actuality, nothing at all. Most humans had a subtle sense of good and evil, and to feel neither made him uneasy. He turned to Sith.

"What is this place?" he whispered, and Sith stopped as Matt turned back, examining one of the men alongside Ryou. He rose an interested brow. Humans shouldn't be able to stay so still! Matt knew he sure couldn't have achieved it.

"Think Aeon came by here?" he joked, knowing this to be a working of time, and waved his hand in front of the man, "Hellooooo. Can you hear me, you son of a submariner?" Ryou actually laughed as Matt continued to taunt his silent victim. Sith, however, wasn't in the mood to play. She shook her head, turning quickly toward the tower doors.

"I'd have hoped you'd take Falnika's inevitable siege a bit more seriously than _this_," she said sharply, silencing Ryou's laughter, "But by all means, go ahead and unfreeze her fanatics." That sent a chill up Ryou's spine, and he found he didn't want to know how powerful these seven actually were. Matt wisely agreed, and they ran after Sith as she opened the stone doors.

The interior of the tower was shocking beyond all reason. When Sith had told them of the tower's namesake, they had been so sure that what they'd find were chambers upon chambers of covens, laboratories, and studies to fight through and raid. But what they found instead was that the tower was one _colossal_ chamber spanning the entire height of the tower, with stairways and narrow ledges constituting the ninety-floor interior. Ryou's mouth dropped. He could feel shadows all around them, waiting to strike, and he understood the terrain was entirely without their favor. One wrong move, and they'd shatter onto this floor. It was no wonder magic was the primary source of destruction; one could not easily wield a sword in this place!

"Are you serious!?" Matt asked no one in particular, and this time, Sith chuckled. She started for a narrow staircase that'd bring her to the second tier of the building.

"Did I ever imply I was joking?" she countered, and Matt just sighed. Sith's idea of a 'quest' made no sense to him. Then again, he wasn't one to believe in suicide missions.

The further up they went, the more the shadows seemed to surround them. Ryou was glad he could detect such darkness. Sith was focused entirely on scaling the tower, and Matt wouldn't know a shadow if it actually managed to hit him. But for the first three or so floors, they'd avoided all manner of battle simply because Ryou _told_ Sith of them. And while those shadows knew they could kill either Ryou or Matt, they knew Sith could easily kill _all_ of them in one blast if they tried. But Sith's endurance ran only so far. By the sixth floor, she was growing tired. And, in Ryou's mind, with good reason. Half of her time was spent trying to keep her balance.

"Sith, they're getting cocky!" Matt yelled, and Sith turned just as he managed to slug one short, beaked _thing_ in the nose. She tried to scream out, to stop him, but for once, he was faster. No sooner had his hit connected, that he was thrown back mercilessly, nearly falling off the ledge and to his death. Ryou managed to stop that, but just barely.

"Leave them to me. I said we can only fight with spells," she reminded him, and with a snap, sent four javelins of ice slamming into the hearts of four shadows, one being the man Matt had attacked, and the other three not even forming yet. They dispersed into darkness, and Sith turned to unleash a blast of fire on another round of shadows behind her.

"Can you _handle_ all of this!?" Matt asked her, as Ryou helped him back to his feet. Sith grunted as the group tried to resist her spells, but her will was far greater. They crumpled when a blast of lightning from her sword hit them.

"We'll just have to see," she mumbled, and dove headlong, spell ready, at another group of approaching shadow-beasts.

It seemed to continue on forever. Ryou lost all semblance of time as he watched Sith continuous slam her spells into the beasts before them. And as soon as she finished, not ten paces later, they'd reform, always reform, into something nearly twice as strong. Sith's will was powerful; her lowest spells got them through the first twenty-three floors with no problem. But when it reached thirty, she was already using moderate to the highest level spells she had, and by the fiftieth floor, she was running nearly as much as fighting. It was clear that her power was running out.

The monsters continued to grow confident, even against an Esper as powerful as Sith. They gave chase, often with Sith taking the heaviest blows from their targeted spells. But the Esper refused to let them kill her. Not when Ryou and Matt needed her so badly. They would never survive against even one, even half, of the beasts that came after them. But when they came to the next floor, and were caught in a pincer assault, Sith considered unleashing _Maetrlekt –_ the most powerful of space magic – and annihilating everything in her path. The only problem was, it was a forbidden spell. Damned Esper laws.

"How many more floors!?" Matt called, as one beast dashed. He dove, and it went right over him, soaring and crashing into one of the monsters behind. They slammed down the stairs and kept rolling, and soon three more joined them as Sith unleashed several bolts of lightning at once.

"How the hell should I know!?" she yelled back, and was nearly pinned by a hellhound that had charged. Her only save was that Ryou grabbed her and pulled her down just before those claws cut into her very mortal flesh. He looked at her for a moment. Did he actually just save her life?

"…look out?" Ryou offered, and Sith laughed heartily. It was a bit late, but his sentiments were shared. She stood, and looked at the never-ending hoard. And she smiled, as if this was what she aimed to do until she was dead. And that was probably a good guess; it didn't look as if the line would stop soon. Sith raised her palm, intent on casting the world's biggest inferno possible. If she was going down, she'd take this hideous structure with her.

That didn't happen. At first, the monsters around them halted entirely, seemingly in horror from the thought of Sith pulling such a thing off. But then, the monsters shattered like thin glass, each and all of them, their fragments cracking and splintering as they hit the floor. Sith watched in wide-eyed curiosity. That was _not_ by her doing, nor could she ever have done such a thing. She didn't know how it happened, or by whom, or even when it actually occurred. But she knew one thing: she suddenly had nothing to fight.

"Sith?" came a voice, and Sith looked up, her eyes still wide, but now her skin paled. Aeon was running fast down the stairs, with Yugi and Malik behind him. Aeon! Sith couldn't have been more relieved at the sight! He stopped, and the two collided in a hug. And when he let go, she stared at him for a long moment. The last she had seen him, he was in bad sorts. Now, however, he looked as healthy as ever.

"Aeon!?" she said, and looked behind him, "And Yugi and Malik as well! But… where is Mello?" Ryou noticed he was missing, too, and guessed he _had_ been at Kefka's tower. Aeon's expression confirmed it, too.

"I'd been sure you'd come to collect the box, but Mihael wouldn't hear of it," the time-keeper told her regretfully, "He's gone to try and kill Falnika himself."

"Mello hasn't changed a bit," Sith commented, and shook her head, "Damn it, he should have waited. Did you at least get the box?" Aeon's expression dropped, and now he just looked scared. Too scared to tell Sith he _didn't_ retrieve it. But he had a feeling his face yet again gave it away, for Sith's frown worsened.

"In his defense, there's this loser who won't get out of the damn way," Malik said, trying to help Aeon's cause. Sith looked at him, and her brow rose. It was possible they had tried to fight the messenger above, but to see them alive… Sith nearly laughed at him.

"That _loser_ is a messenger of Kratz," she informed him flatly, and on his bewildered look, she added, "Kratz is the god of death, Malik." But to the younger man, who worshipped _Egyptian_ gods, this _Kratz_ meant nothing to him. He shrugged.

"Whatever. Point is, he's in the damned way and we're not fighting him," he replied in his usual unhelpful way. He looked at her and grinned, however, something quite unlike him. He didn't normally grin at Sith, "You ready for a fight, Sith?"

"I'm ready to leave," she stated, but drew Zealacht with her own customary smirk on her face, "But if this is what it entails, I'm up for the challenge." Malik seemed happy to see Sith so ready, so Ryou didn't argue. But for Aeon, he wasn't quite ready to let Sith go and kill herself for this. He stopped her immediately, his arm shooting out and grabbing her with a speed and strength that shouldn't have been afforded to his slender build. She yelped, and he turned her to face him.

"Sith, no! You can't rush so blindly!" Aeon said to her sternly, and she stared at him, "Think about it for a moment, dear. Suppose this messenger has the box in his possession." Sith did think, and slowly, fear set into her eyes. Kratz's spells were forbidden, but not to himself or his minions. This minion could double-cast _any_ of the ancient spells, and that would surely wipe them all out, as well as half the world. But could she let that happen? She shook her head. She truly could not.

"And also suppose he casts them regardless!" Sith was quick to counter, and then said gently, "Aeon, the danger is much more severe than that. Suppose that Mello isn't quick enough, and Falnika gets the box. Suppose this minion works for her already. Are you willing to risk that?" Aeon could honestly say he wasn't. As much as this world didn't mean to him, he could _not_ let Falnika win. It was against his purpose as a keeper of time, and it went against his undying loyalty to Sith. He looked away, unable to meet the woman's gaze.

"Sith…" he began, and then sighed, "All right. But if it comes to a fight, focus on _destroying_ the box." Sith nodded, understanding the man's logic. With a resigned sigh, Aeon took Sith's hand and led the procession up another floor.

Aeon's power, while severely weakened in the corruption of the world, was strong enough to create a small rift that took them right up to nearly the final floor. When Sith saw the portal, she guessed that _that_ was why he had gotten to her so quickly. And she didn't complain. If Aeon's worries rang true, she'd need all of the time he could give her to kill Kratz's little guard. And so, without so much as a word, she ran and jumped right into the portal, crashing into a roll when she flew out the other side. Matt and Ryou followed soon after, with everyone else bringing up the rear. And Aeon wisely closed the portal; there was no sense in allowing monsters to follow them.

Wasting no time, Sith rushed up the steps to the final floor. There were only two guards lying in wait, but Sith had expected that. She came at them with a spell fully charged, and let it loose just as she skidded to a halt. The casting left her defenseless, and while one of the two guards got a good hit in, Sith's full fury was more than enough. Both creatures suddenly found their faces melted straight off, and their bodies turning into oozing puddles that slipped through the cracks. Ryou twitched at such a sight. But Sith did not. She merely continued on, with Aeon quickly coming right behind her.

The resounding blast sent the door bursting fully open, and Sith flew right through it. She came out on the roof, and stopped again, looking around. The air was too thin, and it was freezing, too. She folded her tiny wings, and felt Aeon right behind her, similarly concerned. Something didn't feel right, but what it was, neither Esper nor immortal could say. But nothing was in sight. Nothing but a single, smaller room atop the roof. Sith eyed it with worry.

"Where is he?" she asked Aeon, as the time-keeper looked toward the room as well. His face grew grim as he took out his watch and waited. Ryou saw his eyes glint, much like Matt's occasionally did.

"He's in there," he told her. But Sith wasn't so sure. She felt absolutely nothing up here. It was as if everything stopped, as if Aeon had cast one of his spells. Except that he hadn't, and that really worried the Esper. Sith couldn't keep waiting. She walked into the room, and found it was a plain room with nothing but a pedestal in its center. But as she walked in, she saw what was on that pedestal: a golden box inset with jewels that even a dragon would kill to have. It twinkled, and then emitted a pale, green light that shone off of Sith's skin.

"Shalidor's Coffer…" she whispered, as Aeon and Ryou ran inside. Ryou stopped, however, when he saw the box. There was a feeling about it that he didn't like, and he looked concernedly at Sith. She seemed unusually focused right then, and though he wanted to think it was because of the gems, he knew it wasn't. Sith had found something that could afford her incredible power, something that could possibly kill Rath and end whatever punishment she was handed. For an Esper, that was the rarest thing on earth.

"We should leave it," Ryou whispered to Aeon, and the older man stared at him. He hadn't wanted Sith to hear, fearing that something about that box was 'communicating' with her on some level. But she had heard, and when she turned sharply, there was a look of malice in her normally calm eyes. Ryou had never seen it before.

"_NEVER!_" she yelled at him, and he knew now that what he feared was true, "Do you not understand, Ryou? I can cast _any_ spell twice in succession! I have power above most others! I can…"

"What you want isn't like you, Sith," Ryou reminded her gently, and she stopped, staring, "I understand, Sith. I understand you're confused and that you have incredible power, but this isn't you. You'll be no better than Rath if you actually use it." Sith's face fell, and she thought long and hard about what Ryou had just said. What _she_ had said, she knew, sounded exactly like Rath. If she took that route, she would become Rath, as well. How could she live with herself if that came to pass?

"N…no," she said, shaking her head, "You're right… but we can't leave it, not for them to find." Ryou put a hand on her shoulder. He understood the terrible force within such a box, and now knew why it was guarded. Perhaps Kratz did right to keep it that way.

"No, but you can't hold it, either," he said to her, "It's in the box, something that's driving you insane with hunger. If we take it…" He frowned, not liking where this could lead, "…then Aeon will hold onto it."

"_What!?_" That idea didn't sit well with either Sith or Aeon. But Ryou's reasoning was sound. Aeon was the only one beside Sith who had active power. Ryou would have no use for the box, and no one else had any magic within them. Unable to find a reason to argue, both Esper and time-keeper were forced to agree. Ryou handed Aeon the box, and it was promptly dropped into a pocket.

"I'll keep it," Aeon promised, and turned to Sith, "He may have left. Shall we?" Sith nodded, and the three of them walked out of the room, where the others waited. The odd feeling was gone now, and Ryou wondered if it had come from the box. Whatever it was, it had nearly driven Sith to insanity. And she had barely touched it. But he shoved the worry away. Now, they had to get out and find Mello.

Not one of them realized that the messenger was well aware of what they had done. And he was not so willing to let Sith or Aeon have such a power.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After making it out of Ebot's Rock, Sith takes her companions to the Fanatics Tower to claim that world's _artifact of power. _Along the way, they're reunited with Aeon, Malik, and Yugi. However, Mello is still out there, and he's running out of time. Worried, Sith makes her way to Shalidor's Coffer. But now a new problem arises: she can't hold it without becoming possessed. Can Aeon safely carry it until they can unlock it? And will Kratz's messenger rid them of their souls before they can escape? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	22. Aeon's Spotlight

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Final Fantasy VI, or Castlevania. But because it's Christmas when this was updated, the dudes who do own them said I don't need to mention who owns what. Hooray!

Ryou wasn't sure how or why what happened had happened, but he knew magic was the sole purpose behind it. As they stepped forward, all six of them, toward the stairs leading back down the ninety-some odd floors, Ryou really came to understand he should have _expected_ something completely messed up to happen. But he hadn't, and now they all stood there, still as stone, glued to the floor in nearly silent wait. What they were waiting for, only Sith actually seemed to know. But it certainly didn't make it easier for her, knowing any of this. And to make it worse, Malik had taken that minute to glare at her for a comment she had made earlier, and now his face was permanently set in a scowl. And it was aimed right at the old Esper.

"Well, this day sucks," Malik said hopelessly, and Sith barely rose a stiff brow, "We're stuck on a damn floor, and there's a good chance it's so someone can kill us. Sith, can this get worse?" Sith wanted to snort, but she had no movement. Her throat was unlocked only enough to speak, and even then, she sounded strained from such an effort. She took a shallow breath.

"Kratz himself could be here," she said simply, and though Malik had no idea what Kratz was capable of, he knew the man was some god of death. And one that even Sith was wary of. He frowned.

"Stupid magic…" he mumbled, hoping his voice was low enough for Sith not to hear. But she had, and she didn't like what he said. Her brows creased and she lunged forward, as if hoping to shatter the magic keeping her bound. But she was halted before she even left, and frustrated, she merely growled.

"Say that again and I'll kill you," she said vehemently, and Malik just stared. He understood she took the insult personally. After all, she was comprised of magic. But before he could give her an apology, Ryou glared at them both. Obviously, he expected better from them.

"No one is killing anyone else," he said sternly, and Sith's expression softened, "Look, we're all tired. But we need to hold out a bit more. Something is coming." Only Sith and Aeon could sense this, though, and half of their number was skeptical about Ryou's claim. But Ryou knew what he said was right. He felt ripples of power ascending, so slowly, up the tower walls.

"Then where the hell is it?" Malik asked Ryou sourly, and visibly twitched, "I'm trying, buddy, but I can't sense evil like you. Is he at least coming _quickly?_"

"You're awfully excited to be getting your ass kicked," Matt commented, and Malik's mouth dropped at such an unexpected answer, "I don't know shit about Kratz, but I know when Sith's scared. And she's not exactly thrilled here, so that means you'd better can it before you get killed." Malik stared at Matt for a long moment, trying to figure out the point of telling him something like that. To him, this was getting just a bit ridiculous. If someone was going to kill them, he might as well do it quickly. But that wasn't how a villain worked; the other Mystics were proof of that, and even his own insane side took his time exacting revenge.

"Well, _sorry_ for being impatient," Malik finally snapped grumpily, unable to find anything more to say, "I just want to get this over with." Sith managed a harsh laugh.

"We'll have plenty of time to die later, if we don't get our damn bodies unstuck," she told him, and he frowned at her, "Hey, I certainly can't fight if I don't move, Malik." Malik found she had a good point. None of them were psychic, and even Aeon's power required a certain level of movement to cast it. He hung his head. This was just too damn hard.

"This day sucks," he repeated, this time his tone holding definite defeat. Sith said nothing more, but found she agreed with him. The day couldn't get much worse, and death seemed like a welcome relief, if she was honest with herself. But that'd mean she'd be giving up. Sith Winchester didn't even understand the basics of _giving up_. She shook her head in defiance, though the movement was extremely taxing and left her neck sore.

"I swear, when he comes up here…" Sith began, but didn't finish. Ryou saw a profound change in expression, and wondered what it was she saw, or felt. She tried turning her head again, this time not for the stairs, but for the drop behind them, off of the tower. Yugi followed her gaze, also sensing something was wrong. But he saw nothing.

"What is it?" he asked her gently, and at first, Sith wasn't sure. But her face grew grim again.

"Sith?" Aeon called, as Ryou asked, "Is it the messenger?"

"It's about fucking time!" Malik exclaimed, and then shut his mouth when he saw that Sith looked ready to punch him. He knew he'd be flying right off the building if she could. But her annoyance passed in an instant, and she turned, stiffly, back to the edge.

"It's something," she said unhelpfully, and Ryou knew she was being vague. For minutes, they said nothing and simply waited. And they were rewarded when the sound of heavy boots began storming the steps. But, it wasn't just one pair; the echo was too much, and soon Malik could see many, many robed figures pouring up the stairs, some running, some even gliding. But they were all heading right for the top. Now he understood Matt's words. His face blanched.

"Oh goody. There's a bunch of them, too," he said to Sith. Yugi, who was second closest, squinted his eyes, trying to pick out the biggest target. He'd been on lookout before, and understood Sith's way of fighting. She'd want to decimate the messenger first and leave the small fry for them to deal with. But with so many targets, all of varying heights, he had no idea what to even look for.

"Which one's the messenger!?" Yugi cried in frustration, unable to even begin helping Sith out. Sith didn't appear to care, however. Something else caught her attention. And her eyes widened. She turned frantically to Yugi, to Ryou, damn it, to anyone who could listen to her.

"_Break free!_" she yelled at them, but that was far easier said than done. They were still frozen in place, and not one of them had immunity to magic. They had no time, either, for as soon as Sith turned, a figure landed almost silently behind her. Nearing six feet in height, and wearing the clothing of old English nobility, Ryou had a distinct impression that they had just met who they'd come to kill. He shivered accordingly.

"I won't be allowing that one," said a calm voice, and Sith thrashed about to turn properly. She ended up hurting herself. But she saw him. With robes that glittered and seemed to shift through the entire color spectrum, and with eyes as dark as the abyss itself, she saw the messenger of Kratz. And she was rightly terrified. He looked down at her, and gave an interested smile.

"Sith Winchester, how very pleasant to see you again," he said calmly, and lifted her hand to kiss it. Sith felt appropriately ill with the move. He continued, "I see you've managed to take Shalidor's Coffer. Unfortunately, Kratz is none too pleased."

"You act as if that should concern me," Sith spat angrily, eyes narrowing under her lenses, "Now let me go if you wish to live!"

"Wish to… oho! You're threatening me?" the man asked, eyes blazing suddenly, "You dare to threaten the messenger of Kratz!?" He lifted his hand and set Sith whirling with a strike that threw her out of the spell and slamming into the banister. Ryou heard a horrifying crack, and saw Sith was bleeding from her neck, forming a sickening blue pool around her. The messenger walked toward her, "Only one has done such a ridiculous effort! Only Falnika would dare it!"

"Well… I… am not… Falnika…" Sith growled, and drew Zealacht. She wasn't sure if she could use it, but she couldn't possibly get a spell powerful enough to be ready in time. The messenger raised his hand again to strike her, and possibly send her to her death ninety stories below.

"_March of Time!_" Aeon screamed, and fired his clock-blade. A glowing ray of blue light shot out from it and slammed straight into the messenger, knocking him into the wall, and giving Sith enough time to stand. Subsequently, she sent the closest three cultists over the edge, and threw the fourth off the rooftop with a powerful kick. Aeon did likewise, and the two smiled at each other, knowing they could probably take the messenger down now.

"Nice shot," Sith commented, and Aeon blushed just a bit, knowing that in any normal fight, his victim would have died instantly. But he also knew Sith would want a few good cracks at the man herself. He was more than happy to oblige; the messenger was already recovering.

"Well, now, _time-keeper_, I'm amazed by your strength. Seems that you are not yet expired, as old as you might be!" the messenger remarked, and for once, Aeon seemed pretty damn insulted by that. It only worsened when the messenger said, "How old, now? Nearly as old as the Esper there, isn't it?"

"Shut it!" Sith demanded as Matt asked, "Aeon's as old as you!?"

"A few years older," Aeon admitted stiffly, but then he simply grinned, "But young enough to still fight!" He drew his blade and dove for the messenger, the two colliding with another crash. Ryou looked toward Sith, and nearly laughed. She looked completely bewildered at Aeon's sudden burst of outrage, and seemed happy, if not then a little worried, to let the man take his rage out on _her_ opponent.

But suddenly, Aeon had no advantage. He was kicked hard, skidding and sprawling on his stomach as he slammed into the ground. Sith stared at him for a moment, and then looked at the messenger. And she saw why; Aeon no longer had the coffer on him. And she knew that her dear friend was in serious trouble. The messenger would never tolerate such an attack from a keeper of time, and Aeon wasn't strong enough to survive two doses of any spell. She knew that as powerful as Aeon was, his immunity to magic was for pure shit. She lunged this time, Zealacht out and waiting to strike just as the messenger began his chant.

"_No!_" she yelled, and aimed Zealacht. But as suddenly as Aeon went flying, the messenger was gone, and Sith dove into the ground. She scrambled up, and then screamed. The messenger returned. And he was holding Aeon up by the neck, nearly choking the man. Sith growled, holding Zealacht behind her. One move, and her closest friend would be no more.

"Let him go," she demanded, and he simply scoffed.

"Time-keepers are nothing more than a nuisance to Kratz. I would like to be rid of him," he replied, and shook Aeon, "Such a frail thing. So powerful, but with a build as delicate as any human's. One drop, and he'll be gone forever. Erased from time." Sith's control was popped instantly, and her eyes went red.

"Do it and I swear on my father's grave that I'll send you to the farthest reaches!" Sith screamed, "Let Aeon go! _I_ am your enemy!"

"Any consort to the great Sith Winchester is an enemy of mine," the messenger said, and Ryou's mouth dropped. This meant that both he and Mello would be killed next, should Sith die. But Sith wasn't about to die. Sith would _never_ die, Ryou thought.

"Then you leave me no choice," Sith said calmly, and then dashed forward before he could respond. Ryou watched, as did the others, as Sith slashed three times in quick succession, drawing a very clean S on the man's arm. Aeon dropped to the ground, and the messenger was sent screaming as the wound erupted into flames. Sith followed that with a spin that staggered the man, dizzying him as she grabbed Aeon and leapt away, barely escaping his countering fireball. It singed the end of her coat, but caused no damage whatsoever.

"How dare you denounce Kratz, you beast!" the messenger screamed, and threw lightning bolts, three of them, Sith's way. But Sith was far faster, and dodged, using the last one as a platform, and went straight at the messenger again. He disappeared, but she wasn't aiming to hit him; she was giving Aeon an opening. And he took it.

Ryou had never seen Aeon fight without magic before, and at first, wasn't sure the man could accomplish it. But Aeon, as old as Sith and as experienced ten times that, created an attack that Ryou knew he'd never see again. Not from anyone but Aeon himself. The man threw his clock-blade into the air, and with a snap of his fingers, the hands on the clock stretched outward, and then sliced the air three times, making 'whooosh' sounds as the blades passed everyone's heads. It was, needless to say, horrifying. The clock hands collided three times with the messenger, spraying a rain of black blood all around them. Finally, it ended and the man dropped to the floor.

"Good lord!" Ryou cried, as Matt said, "Shit, Aeon! Did you get him!?"

"With an attack like that, I can't see how he _didn't_," Malik said truthfully, but Sith knew far better that they hadn't. She reached for her sword, but Aeon stopped her, shaking his head.

"He will kill you, my dear," Aeon told her, and Sith obeyed, waiting patiently. Surely enough, the messenger stood straight, glaring at both Esper and temporal servant. They had done numerous injuries to his body, but in the end, he would claim both of their souls and send them directly to his master. He smiled wickedly; now he would not hold back. Sith saw this clearly, and against Aeon's wish, dove forward. Her sword collided with a sickening crash. But _she_ was thrown back, even though the hit connected solidly.

"Sith!!" Ryou screamed, as she was sent right over the edge, "Damn it, what happened!?"

"Guys…" Yugi warned, and everyone looked at the messenger. He was glowing now, his eyes flashing brilliant colors every second. Aeon's face blanched, and he clutched his clock-blade accordingly, his brows creased. Ryou sensed his frantic worry over Sith, but both knew there was no helping her. Her wings would have to take care of her.

"He's changing his weakness," Aeon growled furiously, "He is entirely immune to weapons, hence Sith…" He did not finish, and Ryou understood with a sickening sadness that Aeon couldn't bring himself to say 'Sith being killed.' For, unless she could fly, that was surely the woman's fate. He saw Aeon shake visibly.

"Don't give up yet," Malik said, and the time-keeper looked back, "Maybe we don't know her like you, but Sith's a tough one. She'll be fine. Just focus on beating the shit out of this guy in the meantime." Aeon would've laughed, but his fear was warranted. Sith was hardly recovered; she could not have flown far, even if she had flown at all.

"Oh, yes, Sith Winchester will be wonderfully lively after a six-hundred foot drop," the messenger teased, however, turning Malik's encouragement against Aeon, "I'm quite sure she'll love to see you again, as an animated _corpse!_" Aeon's eyes widened, and terror stretched across him. He could not possibly imagine such horrors being wreaked upon Sith! _His_ Sith! He had promised to protect her, had watched her for so long! No, he could never allow such a shame, such disrespect to come to her. Ryou saw the fires mounting in the man's normally vacant, golden eyes. Aeon was _outraged_.

"_NEVER!_" Aeon yelled, and the tower rocked from his anger. Ryou, Malik, and Matt staggered and fell; so did several of the fanatics around them. Yugi, however, was too entranced by the meteors that were now rocketing toward them all. And all of them, all five raging, roaring, flaring ballistics of death, slammed into the messenger.

The inferno was amazing, and illuminated the entire night sky for what felt like hours. All five meteors had hit the messenger, had set him aflame, had sent him screaming to his death. He was burning, still alive, and they knew he wouldn't make it, simply by the smell alone. The smell of burning cloth, of burning hair, of burning flesh stung the air. The smell of death was strong, and amidst all of it was Aeon, who watched silently, emotionlessly as the man before him burned into nothing but a pile of cinders, as everything around him burned, and then slowly dissipated. As quickly as it happened, it was soon gone, and the remains of the messenger was scattered in the ensuing wind.

No one said anything. No one knew what to say. The messenger was gone, but so was Sith yet again, and this time, they did not know if she had escaped. She was badly injured, still hadn't recovered from her previous injuries, and was growing more and more fatigued with every moment. And that left them with a sickening pit in each of their hearts, for they knew that if Sith were to die, their worlds would be next. And the legacy of that powerful Esper would be lost, warped into a dangerous tool for Rath and her minions to wield. But for all of their sadness, Aeon was the worst off, for he had known Sith the longest. He had _loved_ her the longest, as well.

"Aeon…" Ryou called softly, truly wishing the man well. Aeon did not turn, simply stared down the edge, toward the rocky cliffs.

"How could I let her die?" Aeon asked, though it was to no one, and he expected no answer, "My dearest Sith… how could I?" Ryou could see him shivering, and cautiously approached him. Whether he even noticed or not, however, Ryou couldn't say. But he did see the older man's eyes were watering as he looked far below, where the grass stirred in the wind.

"It… it wasn't your fault," Ryou said gently, "You didn't…"

"I didn't properly think," Aeon finished, and Ryou frowned, "I should have frozen time, instead of using a ray of physical energy. Then Sith… she wouldn't have attacked. She wouldn't have been thrown off." Ryou didn't think Aeon was being particularly fair. And he knew Sith wouldn't have thought so, either. What she did, she knew perfectly well, and yet she didn't let those consequences stop her. Ryou was sure she'd have repeated the action a thousand times more if it meant keeping her loyalty. Unfortunately, from Aeon's view, he couldn't see it that way. He likely never would.

"She would have done anything if she thought we were in trouble," Ryou reminded him, and Aeon looked over, "Don't forget who she is, or was, Aeon. Sith is Sith, and she's loyal to all of us. Just like we're loyal to her."

"Yeah!" Malik added, and both Ryou and Aeon turned to regard him curiously, "Hey, come on. Woman's batshit-crazy, but she has her points. She'd have likely fallen off the cliff and then set the building _on fire_ as she fell if she thought for a second it'd save us." Ryou snorted, shaking his head. At that moment, that wasn't the best thought to leave Aeon with, but the time-keeper seemed to get the point. Almost. He smiled wistfully, looking back over the edge.

"Perhaps you are right," he said quietly, but Ryou had a feeling he didn't mean that. He had seen the force with which Sith was thrown; no mortal, Esper included, could have survived such a plunge. Not without wings, and Sith's were not well-formed anymore. Aeon's sadness was well-placed. Or so, they all assumed. Then they both heard a chuckle. A very familiar one, at that.

"Perhaps?" came a voice, and Aeon's eyes widened, "I'd almost say I agreed with that roughly accurate description."

"Sith!?" Ryou called, and surely enough, the woman bounced right onto the ledge, landing on the rail. She looked as confident as ever, and her grin told him she had purposely kept out of the fight. Most probably to let Aeon handle it. Aeon himself couldn't contain his joy; he tackled Sith, both of them crashing onto the stone. Tears fell from his eyes, staining his monocle, and Sith's shoulder.

"My god, Sith!" he said, hugging her tightly, "But… but I had seen you, my dear. You had been thrown off the cliff…"

"And I bounced right back, hiding underneath," she finished cryptically, and he stared for a long, long moment, "I had no chance with him. My magic is sapped, and I haven't the strength for even a basic spell. But _you_ did, Aeon." That answer crashed around him, and now Aeon blushed in embarrassment. Sith had just used him, and he had no qualms in letting her. He hummed, not sure if he should approve or not.

"And so you chose to use me to exact revenge on Kratz," he concluded accurately, and Sith nodded, "How many enemies must you make, my dear?"

"Who cares?" Malik asked, and Sith turned to him curiously, her brow arched, "Look, Sith, I'm glad you're alive, but we still have problems, don't we? Isn't Falnika still here?" Sith chuckled, but Ryou wasn't thrilled that Malik was so unsympathetic. Sith had just survived a dangerous fall, though in her words, she wasn't actually in any danger. It didn't lessen the fact that Malik was being an ass.

"Shouldn't we give her some _time_?" Ryou asked flatly, and Malik stared, "How would you feel if you fell off a building? Not to mention being thrown around, getting shot, and…"

"Enough," Sith cut in, silencing Ryou's point, "Malik is correct. Falnika is very much at large, and she must have sensed Aeon's power. As much pain as I'm in, there is no rest for the likes of us." Ryou's frown deepened. He understood what Sith was saying, but this was just too dangerous. They may have had an artifact of power, but Sith couldn't even use it. He shook his head.

"You're going to get yourself killed…" he grumbled irritably. Matt snorted as he picked up one of the now-unconscious cultists and rid him of a jeweled knife. Matt's goggles glinted as he considered it.

"Sith? Nah, she's survived worse than this," the red-head said confidently, grinning, "Ever been in a mafia before? It makes this look like kiddy cake." Ryou didn't appreciate Matt's lack of concern, but he didn't press the point. Sith was an Esper, after all. She'd be fine, so long as she could wield Zealacht. But damn it all, he was worried!

"So then, now what?" he asked, a bit too pointed, even for his liking, "I mean, we have the coffer. Does this mean we should go and kill Falnika?" Sith and Aeon exchanged glances. Ryou knew instantly from their expressions that they were changing their plans. Any hope he had was gone; worry replaced it.

"Aeon and I are going alone," she said firmly, and Malik's mouth dropped, "Mello needs us, and as grateful as I am for the three of you, you will do absolutely nothing in this battle, and she's made it clear that _we_ are her targets." Ryou understood Sith's logic, but Malik wasn't going to accept it so easily. To him, they had been by Sith's side for years now. To turn them away was actually quite cruel. He scowled at the older woman.

"Yeah, _we_ are her targets, Sith, so let _us_ help!" he exclaimed hotly, but Sith shook her head. Aeon was already waiting for her by the railing, and Ryou knew then that convincing her to do otherwise would be impossible. That was why he wasn't trying.

"If I were to blindly let you die, then what would I say to the others?" she asked gently, and Malik fell silent, "Malik, you are young and you do not understand the true machinations of this war. Beforehand, I had no choice but to allow you to aid me, but now things are different. Mello, Aeon, and I are together and we can finally destroy what we promised to eradicate. If you were to come, you would only hinder us. Please… understand!" Malik eyed her cautiously, and then turned away, crossing his arms. He'd let her go, of course. But there was no reason to make it easy.

"If you die, I'm going to kick your gravestone, Sith," he said, which Ryou guessed was his way of saying 'good luck.' Sith just snorted and gave a small smile, but she offered no words of farewell before she was gone. Yugi and Ryou watched; she had jumped and her wings extended, with Aeon's help. And soon, they had flown far to the horizon, in the direction of Kefka's tower. They weren't coming back.

Ryou wasn't sure how long had passed as the four of them stood on the roof, simply watching where Sith and Aeon had disappeared. It could have been minutes, or it could have easily been hours. It made so little difference when he thought about it. In those few short minutes, Sith could have been shot, or attacked, and sent plummeting to her untimely death, and not a single one of them would know. Yet he knew that hadn't occurred; he'd have felt it in his heart if she had been slain. Finally, he forced his body to move. Staying there wouldn't help any of them. So, he headed for the stairs.

He didn't know where he'd be leading them, but Ryou had to go _somewhere_. His first instinct was to head to the airship, and follow Sith despite her claim not to. But then, as he walked down the steps, he forced himself to think about that. If what Sith said was true, then perhaps he really would be getting in her way. After all, what she said certainly wasn't untrue; he may have defeated two Mystics already, but one had begged him to kill her, and the other was killed primarily due to Sith. Falnika, he understood, would be quite different. There would be no distraction, and no mercy. If he failed to act, he _would_ die, and worst off was the knowledge that Sith might not save him. Was this right?

"Malik, I need your opinion," he said gravely, stopping as Malik came to his side, and looked up at the younger boy, "Should we follow Sith or just head home?" Malik stopped, and stared at him for a long moment. That answer was obvious: they were going to go and help Sith out. Why that was even a question, Malik didn't understand.

"I say we go out there and drag Sith's ass back home, even if it means she's kicking and screaming the entire way," Malik replied, and Ryou saw he was actually grinning. He must've actually thought they could do that, to be grinning like an idiot that way. Yugi agreed, too, for he invariably looked up and smiled brightly at the two as they started walking down the steps, Matt already passing them and seemingly ignoring them.

"Not like we haven't done it before, right?" he asked, and at that, Malik laughed hysterically. That part was also true. Many a time did the three of them have to go and get Sith just as she was about to get herself into some serious trouble. Even Ryou had to laugh a little. The mere thought that they'd actually get her to leave this world was amusing enough. The assumption that he'd even agree was far funnier.

"If you say so…" he said in false warning, and then laughed, shaking his head, "I can just see her scolding us for following her."

"Well, what else were we _going_ to do? Turn tail and leave?" Malik pointed out, and in all truth, Ryou wasn't so sure Matt wasn't going to try that. At least to get the three of them out first. He didn't answer; he looked down to where the red-head was waiting, some few stories below. Matt wasn't looking up at them, but Ryou knew he was waiting, and he wasn't too happy to have to wait, either.

An hour passed them by uneventfully until they finally came toward the twentieth floor. The monsters from the tower either fled or were killed by Aeon's spell, and Ryou did not offer a complaint. To him, that was good news. It meant he could think ahead a few steps without interruption, and decide how to actually bring Sith back. But the offshoot was that everyone had grown uncomfortably silent. Yugi and Malik were whispering in back, probably going over the same things Ryou was, but Matt said absolutely nothing, even as Ryou walked alongside him. And that felt more than a little rude. Then again, Matt _had_ been left behind, and considering who he'd been in Sith's life, that probably hurt a little bit. Not to mention that he was also _Mello's_ best friend.

They reached the front entrance of the tower a while later, and Ryou was not surprised to see that the cultists, the mindless ones, were nowhere in sight. He hoped they had broken free and ran, or else they'd have been killed by Sith and Aeon. As it stood, though, there were no bodies, so he assumed they left. Matt didn't so much as notice; he simply took a look, shrugged, and walked on down the beaten path. The ship wasn't far, though seeing it worried Ryou. He partly wished Sith had taken it, for he remembered that her wings weren't exactly flight-worthy.

They climbed up quietly, and immediately, Matt went to the wheel. Malik and Yugi stared at Ryou, wanting him to protest, but Ryou didn't have the inclination. Matt was seething, and he wanted the older man as calm as humanly possible before Matt actually blew everything apart. But fate didn't want the same thing, for as soon as Matt started the ship, something didn't sound right. The ship rumbled, but it did not fully start. Matt stopped, and then tried again, but it resulted in the same thing. Next he tried the back-up, yet again, the ship didn't move. Angrily, he banged on the wheel. It creaked in protest; Ryou was sure he'd broken it.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked him, and Matt took a puff on his cigarette before answering. Then he turned to regard the smaller boy.

"Ship's damaged," he said simply, and there was a level of apathy to his tone Ryou didn't like, "I don't know who flew this, but the landing gear's jammed. I can't get the damn thing to start." Ryou shivered. Sith had been the one driving the ship, and by her own account, she had said she'd flown one before. How could she not think to check the ship beforehand? Then he remembered that Hidon was prepared to kill her at the time. She didn't have the time to check anything.

"Will the ship be all right?" Ryou asked him, and Matt's eyes glinted. His grin seemed to return, though why that was, Ryou could only begin to guess. He didn't like that grin at all.

"We'll be dandy. I can try jumping the engine and forcing the ship up," the red-head told him, and then laughed, "Might cause a crash, though." Ryou didn't find that funny at all, but Matt didn't give him a chance to object. The man started the ship again, and this time, he did something Ryou didn't expect him to do. He used _magic_! Ryou's mouth dropped when he heard a familiar '_Blitzdonier!_' from Matt. Only Sith should've been able to do that! Yet, Matt had.

"He can use magic!?" Malik screamed, and then fell when the ship rumbled, and then began to lift out of the cliffs. Matt said nothing, and turned the wheel to angle the ship. It climbed high and fast, and soon they were over the mountains, and sailing toward the south, where Sith had gone. But then, abruptly, the ship jerked. Matt's skin paled, and a long stream of curses erupted as he realized his magic wasn't powerful enough for what he had hoped to do. The ship was falling seconds later, and then it crashed.

Miraculously, everyone survived. Ryou didn't know why, but they survived the crash with only minor injuries. The ship, however, surely hadn't. The front half had been slammed into the ground, and the engine was exposed, smoldering in the dark sky. Sparks jumped all around the front end, and the smell of burning rubber was strong. And the back end suffered as well; the cabin was crushed, and glass and splintered wood littered the deck. As well as the destroyed remains of the interior as well. It was truly a sight worth seeing, if only it hadn't happened to Ryou. He could only stare, blinking slowly and looking back at Matt. For once, he was willing to blame this entirely on someone else. Matt was the one who suggested such a stupid idea, anyway.

"Good going, Captain Idiot," Malik grumbled unhappily, pulling himself out from a pile of broken wood, "I'm surprised we're not dead, what with your stupid plans." Matt stood up, and spat out some dirt he'd managed to ingest. Then he straightened his goggles. They'd been cracked a bit from the crash.

"I don't see you doing anything useful yet," he retorted, and grinned again, "Besides, it's just a minor setback."

"A… a _setback!?_" Yugi repeated, and he sounded even more flustered than Malik, "We're _stranded with a BURNING SHIP!_ Not to mention Sith's not even here to help us! We're more than _set back_. We're _screwed!_" Ryou wanted to laugh. It was so rare for Yugi to be this angry, but clearly this hit him very hard. At least they hadn't landed in the ocean. They just landed _near_ it. That was obviously good enough for Matt, who still felt his plan was a success.

"At least we're not in the damned tower," Matt reminded him confidently, and Ryou didn't try to stop Yugi when he went to tackle the man over. Matt merely pushed him off, and his grin only widened as he said, "Relax. I know where we need to go." That convinced absolutely no one.

"Yeah, we heard that shit before," Malik told him, "Last time you said that, it led to _this_ in the first place." Ryou had to admit, that was a pretty accurate accusation. It deflated Matt's ego just a little bit, and without a word, he beckoned them to follow him. Malik was still wary of the fact that he'd crashed their ship, but they followed him nonetheless. After all, he did seem to understand Sith a bit more than any of them. Surely, he understood how she'd get to the tower, or inside it. And surely, he understood even more that if he did somehow screw them over, they'd all kill him and dump him into the ocean.

Matt didn't want to admit he couldn't swim. So, he told himself he'd just have to find Sith. Doing it was relatively easy; it only took twenty years to find her the first time. For reasons only he knew, he had that kind of time. Finding Sith would be the easy part. It'd be keeping her safe that'd be tricky. But Matt was used to tricks. He led them with a grin, toward the south. Toward the continent where Vector once stood, where the source of the dark shrouds were gathering. Toward Sith.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With Kratz's messenger successfully killed, Sith and Aeon depart to find Mello and stop Falnika from unleashing another round of the Light. Not liking to be left behind, Ryou and Matt, along with their friends, decide to follow her path, only to find that their ship no longer works. When Matt manages to destroy it, they now need to head to the tower on foot. With no way to fly, how will they enter the final dungeon? Can they find Sith in time? Or has she already gone inside with Aeon? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	23. Saving People is a Bad Idea

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy VI, or Death Note. Takahashi owns YGO, and he says Ryou makes a terrible leader. SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy, and they agree. Ohba owns Death Note, and he doesn't care, because Mello is enough to make him forget.

Domino City was faring no better since the monsters began to just appear out of nowhere. In fact, if Bakura could have judged it, he'd have said it was far worse. Nearly two days had passed since Ryou had been taken into that strange world, and at first, Bakura could not be too sure of the consequence of such a portal opening. He should have known as soon as Sith had been dragged in. Esper magic could only aid the progression into darkness, and though Bakura loathed admitting it, Sith's absolute power only helped the Mystics this time. They had used her trace, as well as her absence, to bring forth an army that no one could hope to stop. The horde was becoming so massive, Bakura doubted that even with Sith, it would slow.

As of then, however, the street was relatively silent. Rex Raptor had done well to warn everyone of the danger, and most had kept themselves locked in their houses. Those that didn't were either fighting for their survival, or dead. As Bakura turned the corner, out of a narrow alley connecting to the residential district, he saw that the latter possibility far outweighed the former. Bodies of men, women, and helpless children littered the streets. But so did the bodies of those horrifying creatures, smoldering as the fragments of darkness within them dissipated. Bakura halted, and Yami caught up quickly, with Ishtar banishing the last monster that had pursued them. The damage was far worse than they had wanted.

"My god, this is terrible," Bakura growled unhappily, his hand taking out a knife instinctively, "They're all dead. What good are we doing?"

"For now, we're safe," Yami reminded him, though that did nothing to ease Bakura's discomfort. He had seen death before, he had even caused it, but he had vowed never to kill another human again. This was too much; even Zork could not measure to the bloodshed that spilled into the streets. He shook his head.

"And to think that _this_ was what I could have done!" he exclaimed angrily, and slammed his knife into the dirt, "Confound it, I will destroy the darkness of those Mystics myself for this! How dare they kill our own people!" Yami patted his back, knowing Bakura's anger was true. Though there was still some evil left in him, Bakura had made this world, _their_ world, his home. And he aimed to protect it, knowing how much he'd come to care for it.

Neither of them had seen that Kaiba had stepped out from the shadows of a building. He advanced, not knowing whether to be relieved or upset. Like them, he'd been fighting the darkness for some time as well, but he had no magic to battle with. All he had was a shotgun. A shotgun, and too many damned injuries to count.

"Darkness of the Mystics, eh?" he repeated, startling the spirits, "Sounds like a fantasy novel to me. Anyone want to explain what's going on here?" Yami turned to regard him. There was hatred in Kaiba's cold eyes, but for once, it wasn't aimed at them. No, he aimed it correctly at the monsters that had assembled here, and his shotgun, the end covered with black blood, told them that.

"We're not sure, but whatever sent Sith to that other world is what's causing these forces to appear," the old spirit explained, and Kaiba seemed to believe him, "The Mystics are using Sith's departure to crush us. Without her, we have no defense." Kaiba snorted, knowing that was too true. Preparations were difficult without an Esper to guide the way, and though Katt was being as effective as she could right then, it truly had been Sith they mostly relied upon. Now, that felt like a mistake. He frowned.

"Wonderful. So we're sitting ducks while Sith and Ryou get crushed in a world they're not used to," the man concluded, and Yami nodded grimly, "Can these Mystics do any more damage? How much time do we even have? It's been days, what if Sith's already dead?" Yami didn't want to consider that, and neither did Bakura.

"She isn't," Ishtar told them all, and they looked back at him, "If she was, we'd know. But she's not well; I can feel from here that her power's exhausted. And something else is suffocating the little power she does have." Kaiba growled. As much as he disbelieved magic, and as little as he liked Sith Winchester, he still understood she was an invaluable ally and friend. There were only a few options left for them.

"As far as we know, this portal was opened from a video game based roughly upon an actual world, some distance away," Kaiba began, though Yami could not guess where he was heading, "The problem is, this game is no longer a game now. Their magic's turned it into a portal, one that's allowing creatures from both sides in or out. What concerns me is that the portal is in Ryou's house, yet that isn't where the monsters are coming from.

"I think I may have a solution, though it could take some work," Kaiba ended, and Yami stared in surprise, "I just want to know why they want to control this world. There's hardly any magic at all, save for your items and the scant few Espers still here." Yami smiled weakly, fingering the Millennium Puzzle. That was true, but Kaiba didn't understand the whole story. And there was no time to explain it.

"It's much more complicated than that," the old king said after a long moment, "This is connected to Sith. To what she was before we met her, something we've all known since then."

"Of course," Kaiba replied shortly, and then softened a bit, "Anyway, regardless, it seems like you might need my help. For once, I'm offering it." Again, such an offer caught the three off guard. Kaiba had never wanted to help them before; why make the attempt now? Ishtar was that suspicious of him. But when he was asked, Kaiba merely said, "Take the damn offer or die."

"I don't trust him," Ishtar whispered to Yami, who could hardly disagree. But they needed every ounce of help they could get. Bakura knew this above them all, and it was he who stepped in before Ishtar made a foolish mistake.

"You say you have a plan, correct? Tell it to us," Bakura said to him, and Kaiba smiled ruefully. It wasn't exactly a plan, not yet, but it was the start of one. Kaiba was the most powerful individual in the province, even rivaling the senators or the government themselves. As such, he had access to equipment and funding that could never be beaten. Now was the time to see just how reliable such a thing was.

"I own a company based upon gamers and machinery," he reminded them, "All I need is a copy of this game. If we could get the portal itself, that might be even better. But my plan is to try and get Winchester and Ryou out, and then seal the portal off and trap the Mystic inside. At the very least, I want to get in touch with Winchester. Even if I can't seal it, she might be able to." That plan seemed unstable, and now Bakura wondered if his acceptance had been wise. But if anyone could breach the portal, it might possibly be Kaiba. And he was willing to try it. Bakura had to consider this.

"Can it truly work?" Bakura asked him. Kaiba could not answer, and Bakura guessed why: not even _he_ could say for certain. _Almost_ and _possibly_ weren't good enough, not with the level of chaos that was quickly engulfing Domino. Kaiba knew this as well.

'_I say to try it,_' came a voice, and Ishtar's eyes widened. That voice was not known to him, but he understood the tone of it. It was not Sith, could never be Sith, and was certainly not Malik's, either. Yet, it had reached him so easily.

"Who are you?" he demanded aloud, and this time, everyone heard the voice. It was smooth, almost seductive, but there was an edge that told them all not to trust her words. Indeed, the voice was female.

'_I am the one who is throwing your world into chaos,_' she replied, and both Yami and Bakura knew who it was, '_Oh, but don't try to get Sith Winchester out. She has already come, is already on her way to death. And Ryou, I'm afraid, is next. But do feel free to try and close the portal._' Then, like that, the voice was gone. And with it was the hope that Kaiba could do anything at all. But desperation quickly turned to determination, and it was Ishtar again who spoke up, looking around at the others.

"They're still alive, and Sith's on her way there right now," he said, though it felt redundant after the voice, "Kaiba, if you've got the skill, let's breach this portal and pull our friends out." Kaiba blinked, his skin white from the chills that had run up his spine. He had never heard such a terrifying voice before; even his own father had never been so threatening. And though it lasted but a moment, it clearly did its job.

"Do… do you think I actually could?" he whispered, and his voice was so uncharacteristically afraid that it shocked the three spirits again. This was not the time for fear.

"We won't know until you try it, but we can't let them go without help," Bakura said to him firmly, and looked the man in the eye, "Listen to me. I can tell you're like me; you've grown attached to your home. If you want to keep it, we need to do this. Don't become afraid because Sith might not survive. She's known this since she came here, and she knows we'll take her place when she leaves. If you can trust anything from her, trust that she trusts you." Kaiba nodded, and cleared his throat. There was work to be done, and he knew Bakura was right. Taking a deep breath, he turned toward where Kaiba Corp was. Now they had a base of operation, and now he felt like they could do something to control this chaos. But how much was questionable.

---

Vector, or what had once been, was connected to two smaller continents by tiny strips of land that had not yet been washed away by the sea. Ryou had learned that they had been in the middle of one such strip, that the fanatic's tower had been constructed millennia ago, but the Light had uncovered it when it shifted the face of this world. And Ryou had also learned that the old continent of Vector was not too far away. The ship had crashed quickly, but it had also gotten a fair deal of distance before it actually landed. Though the immediate south held ocean, and too much of it, he could already see the northern banks of the corrupted continent. Southeast, he could see the strip that connected the continent to where they currently were.

The journey was truly too easy. Ryou had become aware of danger when nothing had threatened them from the tower, but now that they were outside, in the wilderness, they should have seen something. But there were no monsters even here. That caused concern, and not only for Ryou. Even Yugi and Malik were noticing that this wasn't right. Yugi looked around, trying to find any signs that something had passed. But the tracks were too old, and there was no scent or trace of energy to them. He frowned as he knelt down, looking at a patch of flattened grass.

"Nothing," he said to Ryou, looking up, "Nothing here but us."

"What do you think it means?" Malik asked them both, crossing his arms as he watched Yugi rustling through the grass, trying to find something he could not see, "Bad omen?" Ryou's lips thinned. He wanted to say it meant they were okay, but he knew that a world without life was far from safe. A world without life would perish quickly, and they were still trapped within it.

"No idea, but if Sith noticed, it was no wonder she wanted to go alone," Ryou replied quietly, and let out a sigh, "She told me once why the Esper's world is uninhabitable. Without life, magic can't take a firm hold. My guess is, Falnika is going to kill everything until this world crumbles."

"And she's going to trap Sith inside to do it," Malik concluded, and when Ryou nodded, he added, "And when that's said and done, the Mystics are coming after us."

"Right. Without Sith, there won't be much resistance when it comes to killing us next," Ryou agreed. Silence fell with those words, for they all understood the truth associated with them. Without Sith, the few surviving Espers would have little reason to fight back, and the Chesiers, who were far weaker, would never live to tell the tale. Even Katt could not hope to fight Rath and win. It was a hard thing to grasp, and what made it worse was that the humans, who had little magical capacity, would have no choice but to let it all happen. Without Sith, Rath would win.

They continued in strained silence, all of them thinking and worrying over the fate of their respective worlds. It was only a matter of time until this world fell apart, and that time grew shorter with every second. Yet none of them gave up. As they took each step, they had to keep reminding themselves of what they were fighting for, and why they chose to help Sith out. For Matt, that was easy; he promised a long time ago he'd fight by Sith's side. And for Ryou, he knew in his heart he couldn't betray Sith by leaving her there. But for Yugi and Malik, they were no longer so sure. Yugi wanted to fight, but he knew realistically, there wasn't much to be done. And Malik held little loyalty other than to Sith's sister.

"You worried?" he whispered to Yugi, when Ryou and Matt were far enough ahead. Yugi looked up at him, confused for a moment, and then he realized what Malik was talking about. Fighting against Falnika. He looked away quickly. He didn't want to admit that he was.

"I know Sith's going to win," Yugi replied quietly, but Malik heard the tremble in him. He obviously didn't believe she would, not in her condition. Malik frowned.

"No you don't," he said flatly, and Yugi visibly flinched, "You're as worried as I am, and probably as much as Ryou, too." Yugi found Malik was right. He nodded slowly, and glanced ahead. But Ryou was facing toward the road, and his back was turned. There was no way to even see if he shared the same worry, but Yugi guessed he probably did. He whispered so Ryou could not hear; there was no point in worrying the boy further.

"Being scared won't help us, though," Yugi said softly, and his eyes narrowed as he considered his words, "I mean, Sith said there's nothing we can do, but she has to be wrong, right? Aren't we friends?"

"I thought so," Malik replied, and Yugi understood that he sounded distant as he spoke. It had taken a long time for him to warm up to Sith. And she was harsh on him as often as she was kind. Maybe that was why he couldn't believe in her so easily.

"I want us to be," Yugi finally said, and stopped. Malik looked back at him, and his expression softened. Yugi truly believed they were there for Sith, and that she was there for them. It was clear in the young boy's eyes that he didn't think she was as evil as the Mystics tried to convey. Yugi repeated himself, "I want us to be."

"I know you do, buddy. Hell, we all do," Malik said, and didn't realize that Ryou had been alerted of their halt, or that he had come up behind them, "But Sith doesn't, not right now. We're more a liability than friends for her." He yelped when Ryou put a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face the pale boy. But Ryou was not angry. He looked as saddened by this as Yugi. Or perhaps more so. For a moment, he said nothing, he simply stared at Malik intently. Then, he smiled weakly.

"She's not so cold-hearted," Ryou reminded them both. But the way they looked away told him they didn't agree. Yugi was the only one to speak, however.

"Then why won't she let us help her?" he asked sadly, and Ryou sighed. To him, Sith's logic was actually pretty sound, and it was just one of those ways she told them she did care. By keeping them from danger. But there was no telling that to someone like Yugi, who looked up to Sith like his own sister. All he could see was that Sith didn't want him there.

"Because we aren't strong enough anymore, Yugi," Ryou told him, and Yugi stared, "We never really were. Sith knew this; that's why she hated when we'd have to fight alongside her. We're only human, and we're dealing with creatures of the abyss."

"But Mello's human, too," Malik put in, and Ryou stopped for a moment. That was true. Mello was human, like they were. And yet something wasn't quite right with that. Matt had said it'd been years since they'd seen Sith, yet Mello looked only to be in his twenties at the most. And then there was the fact that both he and Matt wielded magic. Either they were more than human, or Sith had somehow given them magic. Perhaps it developed just by being around her, like Ryou's power had.

"Mello is different," Ryou started, but the next part caused pain as he tried to speak, "Mello… and Sith… Mello and Sith share a bond that we don't have just yet. And he's proven he won't give up. I doubt Sith could stop him if she wanted to." Even Malik had to admit that Sith couldn't stop _everyone_, and Mello was that rare exception to her normally strict rule. He also saw how much it hurt for Ryou to admit to it, too, and he gave his friend a pat on the back. Ryou chuckled, but there was no escaping the tear that fell down his cheek. Malik understood it too well.

"You have one, too, you know," Malik told him, and Ryou looked over, "A bond with Sith. You do have one. That's why she's living with you, and why she trusts you. Katt told me of it." Ryou just shook his head. To him, Sith was living with him because there was nowhere else for her to go. The marriage, as much as he wanted it, was unlikely to happen as of now.

"I have a bond with Sith," Ryou repeated, flatly. Malik smirked for a minute.

"Yeah, you do," the blonde said seriously, "Might not be the one you want, but you have it. Ryou, there are lots of ways to bond with people. Romance isn't one of them. And I hate to say it, but romance isn't the bond you share with Sith. It's a friendship, or a kinship, that runs much deeper than that. You're actually… luckier than Mello." Ryou thought about that for a long moment. Put in that perspective, Malik may have been right. Sith was constantly worried for Mello's well-being, and likewise, he could never rest until he knew she was alive. And both were throwing themselves into danger, just to get to the other. And they were obviously more than just friends. Ryou wasn't sure he could deal with anything like that, and he admitted that if he married Sith, he'd have to. She had no choice but to fight Rath; Ryou could never handle it, not truly.

"Sith…" Ryou said slowly, "My god, I've been an idiot."

"Finally, you're getting it!" Matt declared unhelpfully, and all three turned to see the red-head grinning, his eyes glinting again, "Told you that you weren't right for her." Right then, all Ryou wanted to do was punch Matt for his words, but he knew in his heart Matt was right. He laughed. It wasn't a laugh of mirth, but rather because of the revelation of what he'd actually been feeling. He knew now why Sith was always so tense, even just by someone mentioning her relationship with Ryou. She was far older; she understood his age was clouding his actual knowledge.

"It's no wonder Mello hates me so much," Ryou said, and Matt snorted, "He knows, doesn't he?"

"Mel and I are amazingly intelligent, so we're blessed with understanding how our hearts work," Matt said to him, "Don't take it too badly, Ryou. Besides, there _are_ others who've tried taking Sith away from him." Ryou arched a brow. He didn't need to know what happened to them, but for humor's sake, he asked.

"Where are they now?" he asked incredulously. Matt's grin became smug. And he held up a pistol.

"Dead," was all the answer Ryou received.

By the time evening settled in, they had reached the continent of Vector. Already, Ryou could feel the traces of Oblivion in the air, and he looked directly southwest. That was where the energy felt strongest, and no doubt where their destination was located. The clouds had grown thicker now; they were heavy and made it difficult to breathe, and the air was moist and uncomfortable. Instinctively, Ryou drew Zerrkandr. Monsters had been absent for some time now, but so close to the tower, he had no idea what to expect. It was better to be prepared, and he understood his blade could tear anything from the void apart. Likewise, he heard Yugi and Malik draw their weapons as well. It would take the better half of the night to make it, but they were ready to fight anything in their way. At least, they hoped.

Yet they did not head toward the tower. Matt had taken a sharp turn directly west, and after dispatching a Chocobo poacher camping near the northern coast, he liberated three very large bird-like creatures and brought them over to Ryou. He explained that they were what people called 'chocobos,' and that they were the equivalent of a horse. He also explained that they weren't ready to tackle the tower just yet, and Ryou found that, when he realized how worn his leather armor was, he couldn't exactly disagree. They hadn't bought so much as an ounce of armor since coming to this world. And with Falnika so close, that wouldn't do.

Fate found them heading west toward the town of Tzen, some two hours later. By that time, it was nearly pitch black, and the only light came from the dim torches carried by the few guards near the outposts a mile from the city proper. But from what Ryou could see, it was truly the Vector continent that suffered the most damage. Tzen had been close to Vector in the past; as a result, it took the full-on assault from the Light of Judgment. Once-beautiful manors had been reduced to crumbling piles, and occasionally had been eradicated from existence altogether. The lesser houses, from what Ryou could see, were no more than a roof supported by less than five feet of vertical brickwork. And even the roads, once cobbled and paved, had been torn apart. Hell had literally broken loose.

The worst sight, however, were the people. They looked hopeless, their clothing stained from the dirt and soot of surviving that horrible blast. Children looked up at Ryou as he passed, some shining with hope that he might be their new hero, others with only fleeting interest, knowing he was no more than they, a lost soul in a battered world. Men and women paid only a glance to them, and the elders muttered a few words of harsh welcoming. Only three people brought some level of hope to the city. And Ryou could scarcely believe they were even alive.

"Tally ho!" they cried, when Ryou saw them, "'tis us, the Bards Three!"

"Oh my god," Malik sighed, shaking his head when they came over, "You three are _alive!?_" Ryou nudged him harshly, knowing that at least they had friends of sorts to let them know not all was lost. Though, even he admitted fully that the bards were less than ideal company at this time. They did not appear to notice Malik's unhappiness, however. Derek, the eldest, smiled warmly as they halted just a few feet ahead.

"Of course! 'tis not the end of the world, though it appears otherwise," he replied. Ryou was just glad the Bards Three stopped rhyming all of the time, "But what, dare we ask, brings you three here? Brothers of the road, mayhap?"

"More like we're going to try saving the world again," Matt told them, and Ryou was surprised he knew them, "Derek, Sith left us again. Did she come by this way?" Derek seemed particularly disturbed to hear this, and he looked to his brothers. Neither of them had an answer for him, and Erik shook his head to show this. Derek shrugged, turning back to Matt.

"Nay, friend, she hasn't come here," he replied, and then asked, "Is the queen in danger?"

"A world of it, as always," Matt told him grimly. Derek nodded knowingly, and Ryou saw his fists clench. Whatever the two were talking about, it must have happened similarly before then. Obviously, the Bards Three had been involved. Perhaps that was why Sith had let them be…

Ryou didn't have time to ask the obvious. There was an explosion behind the Bards, and they turned as a crash erupted, followed by screams as people began to run down the road, towards them. Except that the people were not running _toward_ the bards, rather, they ran by them, terror etched on each and every face. Ryou was already heading down toward where the commotion was by the time Derek turned back, and he was surprised to find that Malik and Yugi were following the boy, with Matt taking the rear. And all of them had their weapons drawn, though the actual reason for that was unknown. It wasn't likely that a monster had caused the explosion.

"What the hell!?" Malik asked, when they stopped in front of one house that was currently igniting into flames. Men had gathered around to try and control the flames, but they weren't anything close to being considered 'effective.' Ryou could only guess as to what happened. As he ran up, he saw one man trying to hold the building up. But it wasn't the man's insane determination that struck Ryou. While it was odd that one man felt he could accomplish this, it was actually the man's attire that alerted Ryou; he wore a dark robe and black boots, and on his face, above his nose, was a large, x-shaped scar. And his eyes were blazing golden. He looked down at Ryou for a moment, and then grunted.

"Are you blind? This building is going to collapse soon," the man told him, with a shockingly calm tone, "There are a few people still inside. Please help them."

"Is this nutjob serious?" Malik asked, watching the man warily. Matt snorted, shaking his head, but before he could speak, the man growled.

"If you're not heartless, then do something, you idiots!" he snarled, which seemed to be the exact opposite of how he was just a moment before; perhaps he had a split personality. Not wanting to upset this man further, Ryou ran inside, with Malik by his side. Yugi opted to stay out, which seemed wise considering.

Inside the house was a wreck, and the thick smoke made it nearly impossible to breathe. Before Ryou even reached the foyer, Malik was already storming up the steps, coughing as he went. Ryou immediately went toward the kitchen, but the fire had made the door way too hot; it took waiting for Malik, some ten minutes later, to bum rush it open. And when he did, the curtain of soot that greeted them told them that they may have been too late to save whoever was inside. Or still inside, if Malik had help any others out.

"My god, is anyone down here, you think?" Ryou asked through a fit of coughs. They pushed through the thick smoke, toward a window that Malik was quick to kick open. As the air rushed in to sweep the smoke away, Ryou saw Malik nod.

"Yeah. I found another creepy, hooded guy upstairs. He said there's someone else in the basement," came the strained reply. Ryou just growled. Of course they'd be forced to head down there. Without a word, they pushed past the smoke, heading toward a dark opening that they prayed was the basement stairs.

The basement consisted of a long, narrow channel that seemed to go on forever, with no light after the first ten feet. Ryou was quick to grab the lone torch, and Malik lit it by striking it like a match against the stone. It revealed the walls to be made of black stone, slick to the touch without actually being wet. Such a consistency made Ryou shiver; only Sith's world could produce such material, according to Sith herself. For a few moments, they walked the corridor in silence, each listening for the sound of heavy breathing or strained crying. According to Malik, the man he had rescued had given only a short description of the person trapped down there, and Ryou had begun to think they were rescuing a child. From the description, he was no bigger than Ryou, and a tad thinner, too. But like the first two men, he was also robed.

Eventually, the corridor widened, and the stone gave way to soft sand. Here, noise was muffled, and Ryou slowed his pace. Though the corridor had been solidly connected to the house, he had a feeling he was no longer within the residential vicinity, or even in Tzen itself. He couldn't go on, not without understanding where he was. Yet neither he nor Malik knew much about Tzen. Perhaps this was just a part of a system where the houses were all connected.

Unfortunately, the fact that he could hear water rushing, and could feel the sand beneath him, told him his worry was warranted. This was no sewer system; they were underground by now, and sewers could not possibly carry sand. When the corridor widened into a large circular chamber, with water covering more than half of it, Ryou had to stop. From here, there was no place to go. He looked around gravely. It was like a private, underground beach. Yet something told him it wasn't a peaceful place to be.

"Where are we?" Malik asked him, raising a brow, "Some sort of beach?"

"…Malik," Ryou hissed, and ran over to a black heap on the ground. Malik followed, and as Ryou knelt, he realized that whatever they had found was _breathing_. Frantically, Ryou brushed the sand away. They had just come across the last survivor of the fire, and indeed, he was smaller than even Ryou. But in no way was he a child. As Ryou uncovered his face, removing his hood in the process, he found the man was older, though how much, Ryou couldn't be sure. But he was alive, and he stirred, coughing as he tried to open his eyes.

"Uuuuuhhhhaaa…." He moaned a bit, his head dizzy from being unconscious, but eventually the man was able to see that he wasn't alone. He looked over, and saw Ryou there. "…who are you?"

"I'm Ryou Bakura," Ryou told him calmly, "We're here to help you." The man blinked for a long moment. For someone whose life was just saved, he didn't look particularly happy about it.

"Did Saix send you?" he asked flatly, but when neither Ryou nor Malik understood who that was, he added, "Blue hair, black robe, scar on his face. Psychotic, crazy, anything?"

"Sounds like the dude who's holding the damn house up," Malik replied, "But the guy _I_ spoke to was blonde, and old, and _ugly_." Ryou shook his head, wishing to anyone that Malik would just shut up. The man snorted, and a smirk grew on his face. He looked so smug; it annoyed Ryou a bit too much.

"Vexen, no doubt," the man stated in amusement, "Well, I suppose I should return now." He was about to sit up, but his body was slower to respond. He grimaced. Being unconscious did a number to him, when he knew it really shouldn't have. Malik just stared for a moment. To him, this man was even crazier if he thought he was going _back toward the fire_.

"Return _where!?_" Malik asked him, and laughed, "Dude, the town is probably _on fire_. There's nothing to return to!" This wasn't enough to deter the man, however. He looked up at Malik in annoyance. Obviously, he hated being told what to do.

"Ah, but our search is not done. I must tell them what I've found," he told them, as if that was enough of a reason to let him leave, "Then, we can finally confront the Mystic and…"

"How the hell do you know about Falnika!?" Malik asked him suddenly, and the man stopped, staring as if Malik had just slapped him in the face. Then, he cleared his throat. And by the look on his face, Ryou had the distinct impression that he felt Malik was an idiot.

"You truly are a brute, just as we thought," he commented, and then smirked again, "As for the Mystic, we've known of her for some time now. We just needed to find a way to get to her. We now know how. It appears that when one section of Oblivion is warped, anyone with access to magic… in this case, _myself_, can access the portal and warp from place to place. Quite a handy skill, if I say so myself." Malik, unfortunately, had no idea what the hell this man was even saying. He blinked, and looked down at Ryou.

"What'd this moron just say?" he asked, and Ryou nearly burst out laughing. The man was about to answer, but four more people made it down the corridor. Ryou turned; it was Matt and Yugi. And behind them… were the two robed men from before. Which meant they were probably in a lot of trouble.

"Zexion, did you find it?" one of the two robed ones asked, and Ryou winced at his voice. Something about it seemed so shrill. The younger man, the one they had rescued, nodded. Then he finally stood.

"This channel connects into the trench, which will take us to the tower," he told them all, "From there, we can infiltrate it and obtain the dark power inside of it." Now Ryou was terrified. What he assumed to be a rescue mission, was quickly turning into a dangerous plot. One that probably wouldn't go well if they ran into Sith. But he said absolutely nothing; right then, Zexion and the others were speaking, and Ryou was intent on listening.

"Wonderful. The power inside is growing rapidly, no doubt from the fact that the Esper just arrived, as planned!" The man removed his hood now, and was revealed to be the blonde one Malik had rescued up above. He was smiling nervously as he continued, "Though I do fear how we'll fare once inside. This Esper is not so weak, and quite enraged." Zexion seemed inclined to agree, but the last man just snorted, shaking his head. With his hood still up, it was impossible to see his reaction.

"Enraged? Ha. I'll show her the true power of a berserker," he snarled, and his tone sent chills up the others' spines, "Now to just _find_ her…" At this, he turned directly to Ryou and the others. Ryou heard the click of a gun behind him, and prayed that Matt wouldn't do anything so stupid. But Sith might be in danger again, and he knew nothing would stop the fiery red-head if that was the case. He'd just have to step in before that happened.

"What do you want with Sith?" Ryou asked the three, his tone more aggressive than he meant it to be, "She's not a Mystic, and she certainly isn't causing this!"

"Oh, no, we know this. But we also know of Sith Winchester," Vexen informed them, and Ryou blinked, "She is not so unknown to us, Ryou Bakura. In fact, some of us believe she'd make a good heartless, should we get our hands on her. Then, the Mystics would fall, and _we'd_ obtain their power." Ryou already decided that _that_ wasn't going to happen. Malik and Matt were quick to join him, as all three drew their weapons. Yugi simply stood in back. He knew that, while neither Vexen nor Zexion were a threat, the third man certainly would be. He had no fear of Sith, and Sith could have easily ended them all.

"That ain't happening, pal," Matt growled, and his eyes gleamed again, despite the lack of light, "Get a load of _this!_" As Ryou feared, Matt shot his gun, and a searing ballistic rocketed across the air, toward the blonde across. Vexen's eyes widened, and he made a move to draw his shield. But a book appeared in front of him, and the ballistic was gone. Zexion was _not_ happy, when the book returned to him. He glared at them, first at Vexen, and then at Matt.

"Now is not the time for a fight," Zexion informed them all calmly, and sighed, "It seems we are all headed for the same destination. Why not form a truce?" Malik's mouth dropped. Technically, these three freaks were the ones threatening _them_. Why they should even consider this was a mystery not easily solved.

"Are you out of your damn mind!? You're talking about turning _our friend_ into a… a heartless!" Malik yelled, neither knowing nor caring what a heartless actually was, "And now you're going to plead truce when we're about to kick your ass? What a joke!" If he meant to insult Zexion, however, he failed. The man didn't so much as blink. He simply stared, and Malik had a feeling _he_ was the one being mocked.

"A… joke? I'm above jokes. I'm being quite serious," Zexion replied, and though his anger was quiet, it was clear in his tone, "Why should we not go together? _We_ cannot enter the tower, but you may be able to."

"And why would that be?" Ryou asked curiously, warily. He had the distinct feeling now that they had been watched, and for some time. He yelped when he felt Matt step forward, glaring at the men from underneath his goggles. The same power he felt before appeared again.

"If you think I'm going to lead you to Sith, you're wrong," Matt growled at them, "Get in the tower yourself and leave us alone." For once, Zexion actually snickered. It was quiet at first, shy almost. Then, it grew, and soon he was laughing. He was laughing at _Matt_. Vexen and the third man watched him, but both seemed unusually uncomfortable now, as if something terrible had happened, but one they couldn't control. Ryou looked from Zexion, to the two of them. Then back again. The book he was holding was open; Zexion's eyes were glowing as he read from it. He spoke the language Sith used to cast magic, and then he looked up at the four of them.

"I am afraid, gentlemen, not one of you has a choice," he informed them. And then, quite suddenly, Ryou saw absolutely nothing, and heard only a loud thud as Matt fell to the floor. Then… silence.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Arriving in Tzen brought no good news to Ryou, and after inadvertently helping Organization XIII, survivors from Rath's continuing bloodshed, he finds himself in the middle of a plot that might just overthrow the insane Mystic herself! But their plans involve Sith, and mysterious beings called Heartless, and Matt isn't ready to let that happen. But what do these strange men have in store for _Ryou?_ Why have they abducted him and his friends? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	24. Oganization XIII

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Castlevania, Final Fantasy VI, or Kingdom Hearts. Everyone who does says that my crossover rate is bordering on extreme. Team Extreme.

The darkness did not cease even though there was no sound. Ryou wasn't sure which one terrified him more as he was led down a cold, narrow, winding passage. He also wasn't sure how many of his friends had fallen, but he remembered clearly that Matt had been attacked. And _he_ was awake, something that made him quite curious. Normally, the Mystics associated him with Sith. Yet these three men, these strangers, had made no such assumptions. And while that was good for his well-being, it also confirmed some of the worry he'd carried for some time. For now, though, he forced those creeping worries away. There were other problems to attend to at the moment, and one of them was the fact that he had no idea where they were, or where they were heading. Another was that he was powerless to try and stop them. Zexion's magic was intense, and rivaled Sith's fairly well. He had no reason to cross the strange man just yet.

The only thing he was aware of was that they had gone down a different passage, one hidden within the black stone. He hadn't seen it on the way down, nor did he see it now, but he had a feeling that the three men, whoever they were, had known of it. Vexen had found it with relative ease, and with that book, Zexion opened it. Now they were walking down the passage, and Ryou felt the stone was slick with water. It hadn't descended much, but that meant nothing. They had to be heading toward the underground ocean. He didn't want to know what they'd do once they reached it.

"So, how will we get inside?" Vexen asked, and the sudden sound shattered the silence and disoriented Ryou a little bit, "Saix, you did not figure out a way through the door, did you?"

"The front doors do not open," Saix replied, and Ryou shivered at the sound, "They are a simple ruse to fool the unwary. To enter, we go through the roof." Ryou remembered Strago saying similar. He wondered silently if Sith could reach that high, and hoped she had succeeded. Vexen just snorted, a mocking sound.

"Well, this is a fine mess. We are on the _bottom_!" he exclaimed unhappily, and turned to Zexion, "How are we going to enter? Scale the building?" Ryou could almost see that, and part of him wanted to shove them right off the walls. But he wisely kept his vision to himself. If he was the only one awake, it was up to him to get some information and keep himself, and his friends, one step ahead and wait for a chance to run.

"You underestimate the Esper language," Zexion said to him calmly, quietly, "Have you forgotten? I hold the Esper's power within me."

"What have you done with Sith!?" Ryou demanded suddenly, and they all stopped. The abrupt movement shook Ryou; he was jerked forward roughly. If only he could see who he was facing!

"Sith? Absolutely nothing," Zexion replied, "There are many Espers. When they die, their power remains for anyone to acquire. And I have done so." Ryou didn't like the thought of that. If that were so, then anyone, any bum off the road, could learn magic and become a serious threat. It was no wonder why Bakura had become increasingly worried about Sith's safety. Her power was terrifyingly high, and should anyone else get to it… that world might possibly end in a matter of minutes.

"Why did you need the Espers' power? What are you all up to?" Ryou asked them, when they continued forward, "If it's to kill us…"

"Do not mistake our agenda with these affairs to be because of your kind," Saix told him harshly, a snarl to his voice again, "We are beings born without hearts. We do not, and never will, hate one particular race. We want power. We want our hearts, and for that, we _need_ power." That made no sense to Ryou. He tried to think if there was any way an Esper connected to a person's heart. But Sith hadn't said much about magic, other than the fact that emotions could power it up… or hinder it terribly. Yet, if these men were heartless…

"So you're going to go and gather the power of both the Mystics and the Espers and try to gain your hearts that way," Ryou concluded, but if he managed to guess it, Saix did not respond. He continued with, "Sith will never let that happen."

"We do not intend to battle Sith Winchester," Zexion said, and Ryou felt them taking him down a few steps, "Her power is great, but she is much like us herself. She does not know who she really is, yet her will is powerful. That is why we feel she would be a grand heartless, but we could never touch her. Not truly. But we _can_ use her." Ryou hummed quietly, thinking on that. He had never thought a person could lack a heart, and least of all, he never thought Sith was one of them. She had a hard life, but she did have feelings, and she did know how to love. Somewhat. But perhaps there was truth to Zexion's words; Sith's will alone is what allowed her to continue on. At the very least, their consideration of her made Ryou worry.

"Use her in what way?" Ryou dared to ask. Zexion didn't answer right away. Maybe he was scared. Or maybe he felt it wasn't worth answering. Ryou couldn't be sure.

"Once she defeats Falnika, she will simply leave the shoot of power alone. She has no use for it, and I doubt she'd know of it," Zexion told him, but Ryou knew that was a lie. Sith knew where energy was, "We will take that shoot, when she leaves."

"She will come back to fight you," Ryou warned them threateningly, but Saix grabbed his neck and held him up. That was obviously a threat well placed. Ryou struggled, but knew the man's grasp was too much. He just prayed he wouldn't die.

"Then _I_ will crush her," Saix growled, "No one opposes Organization XIII, not even the likes of an Esper." Ryou wished his link to Sith had worked. He could have told her about all of this. But for now, he had to keep from being killed. It was clear these men were quite dangerous. For all he knew, they really had killed the others.

Ryou kept quiet after that, figuring that if he was going to stop this, he'd do better to listen than to argue. But his questions had raised enough suspicion, and after Saix put him down, none of them spoke. This disappointed Ryou. He had been so sure he'd get something to present to Sith, if and when the chance presented itself. But he understood his fears and questions had cost him quickly, and that even if he did find something, some way to stop them, they'd kill him in an instant. As it was, they might be close to the base of the tower. Ryou had lost hope of figuring out the distance some time ago, and only wondered how much time they had left. Now they had two enemies to contend with, and while Sith was busy with the Mystics, he knew he'd have to keep the Organization from her as well. Without his weapon, however, that was a task so uneasily performed.

They stopped a short while later, and it was there that Ryou's blindfold was removed. He had barely noticed it was there, but the color shocked him, once he could see again. The chamber was not unlike the one where Zexion had been, except that it was larger and a boat waited for them, floating on top of a placid lake that expanded and then narrowed some good distance ahead. He guessed they were going to take him with them, though what for, he did not know. He didn't possess a strong gift for magic; he barely possessed it at all. Perhaps it was to mock him, or perhaps he was simply a bargaining chip against Sith. Saix had said they'd meet her at some point, or he at least implied it.

Looking beside him, Ryou saw that Matt, Yugi, and Malik all lived, but that they were bound tightly with thick rope, their eyes blindfolded as well. By the way they breathed, he guessed they were unconscious. That was far better than being dead. But what use was any of this? Why keep him up when the others were down? He hummed, glancing toward Saix and the others. They had their backs turned, looking toward the small boat instead. But he saw what he needed; his sword was on Saix's hip. The damned idiot must've grabbed it beforehand. Yet Ryou hadn't felt the theft. He turned back toward Yugi.

"Guys, hold on for a bit longer. I'm going to keep us safe," he whispered to them, but knew that the actions needed would very easily end his short life. First, he'd have to get his sword back. That was a move he didn't look forward to – and with good reason! That'd mean fighting Saix, and that was a task Ryou wasn't up for. And even if he managed it, he doubted the other two would let his theft go unanswered. And while he wasn't sure how powerful Vexen was, he knew Zexion was very strong. One spell, and Ryou would be in heaven. Or hell, depending on said spell.

The best course, he knew, would be to let events unfold as they were. There was no use fighting now; the enclosed space would only be a disadvantage, even with his sword. But on sea, he knew the chance of escape was slimmer. There was only the sea to hide him, and he had a feeling there were things living beneath the calm surface.

When the three had finished their discussion, Saix advanced toward Ryou, who pretended to be hurt and exhausted from the abduction. But Saix was not moved, and had no feelings to respond to, and so he merely looked down at the pathetic boy before him, his eyes cold against the warm torchlight around the chamber. Ryou's façade nearly caved; that look sent shivers up his spine. But he had to remain passive. He had to keep himself, and his friends, safe.

"Get up," Saix said to him, "And get on the boat. We're going for a ride."

"But my friends…"

"_Get on the boat!_" Saix repeated, this time ferociously, his eyes growing almost feral. Ryou yelped, running toward the boat and jumping in. He saw Saix grab Yugi and Malik, tossing the younger man to Vexen. Then, he threw Malik into the boat, and climbed in himself. Zexion merely nodded, and then they were drifting off. Ryou's eyes widened. They had left Matt behind. He turned to the others, but they seemed unbothered by this.

"What about Matt?" Ryou asked them, not caring who would answer. To his dismay, it was Saix again, and the man seemed to decide quickly that he did not like Ryou. His tone was growing colder with every word.

"We leave the boy behind to die," the man growled, and faced forward, toward the ocean, "He is of no use to us. He is nothing more than a phantom." Ryou could not tear his eyes away. As much as he didn't like Matt, the man had helped them out invaluably. He had led them so far, and had done so only because of Sith. Now he would die without seeing her again, without so much as a goodbye. Ryou could not believe this was Matt's fate.

Yet he had no time to remark. He could feel Saix's anger and annoyance, and knew any word could get him tossed aside. His first thought was to ask Zexion. But he knew Zexion was more or less the leader of this thing; he wouldn't care if Ryou lived, and he wouldn't turn back for Matt. All he could do was keep his eyes on Matt's unconscious form, shrinking as they drew further and further from the shore. The torches soon faded in the distance, hidden both by the darkness and the stalactite mounds hanging from the ceiling of the caverns. And with them faded Matt's body. Now, Ryou was alone with three powerful opponents.

He did not know that Matt had been awake, or that Matt was now waiting, watching, _moving_. He did not know that Matt was going to follow them.

The water was quiet, and the boat even more so. Ryou had no reason to speak to the three members he was currently traveling with, and his worries were elsewhere either way. They had left Matt to die, and he could do nothing. He had a feeling a similar fate would soon claim both Yugi and Malik as well. Without any magic, they were of no use to anyone of this 'Organization XIII.' And then, he would be alone. And he knew without his sword, he'd have no chance against any of these three. Perhaps, though, that was why he was alive. Sith had said Zerrkandr was an Esper blade, and that only he could wield it right now. But did these three men know this?

For a long while, Ryou remained quiet, watching the horizon for any sign of activity. From how Zexion had spoken, it sounded as if Sith had made good time, and Ryou expected to see some change in the landscape – perhaps half of the mountain crumbling, or a clearing within the dark shrouds outside. Yet, underground, he had seen nothing of interest, nothing to tell him if Zexion had been lying. And he gained nothing by watching the three. Zexion and Vexen were busy keeping the boat on course, and Saix was intentionally ignoring Ryou. It was hard to believe Nobodies, whatever they were, were incapable of feeling. Right then, it felt as if Saix hated him, for reasons Ryou could not possibly guess.

"You left Matt behind," Ryou finally said, and Zexion glanced back at him, "What will you do with Malik and Yugi?" Zexion snorted a bit, turning back to the water.

"Do not fear for your friends. We will use them as well," the young man replied, "Malik has a strong will. He would make a formidable heartless, though Yugi would most certainly not. Nonetheless, we can barter him with Sith later." Put so bluntly, it sent shivers up Ryou's spine to hear. They were obviously not above taking human life. He had to look away for a moment. Their strength, right then, was being able to not show emotion. He'd have to do the same, or try to.

"And what of me?" he asked solemnly, "What use do I have?"

"The Zerrkandr, of course," Vexen told him, and Ryou visibly flinched. He knew it. Vexen continued, "In the Esper tongue, it translates to the 'Sword of the Heartfelt,' for it does not burn those with a pure heart. We believe this may help us find a way to find our own hearts." Ryou had to hide a snort. If they killed him and claimed the sword, it would never work for them. Sith would cut them down long before Saix could even draw it. Not to mention it took a heart to wield it in the first place. Katsaiga Rhodes had said that much, years ago.

"And then you will kill me," Ryou concluded, "But can you get the other two swords? Sith said there were three, each one connected to a part of the heart." Saix grumbled and turned away, but Vexen did not seem bothered by the words, or by Ryou's tone. He nodded, a small, weak smile across his face.

"The Denschweiger, the 'Sword of Vengeance,' is not so hard to find. It is in the old ruins of the Nesce Kingdom," he replied, and Ryou started a bit. Nesce was where Sith had come from! Vexen laughed, however, and added, "But Zealacht… the 'Sword of Bitter Mercy…' I doubt we can obtain such a sword." Ryou couldn't help but smirk. That doubt was warranted, as Sith currently held that sword. And like its own name, her mercy was indeed a bitter kind.

"Because of Sith?" Ryou dared to ask, more mocking than anything. All three turned to him quickly, and he found his courage sapped. All three gazes were cold.

"Sith is of little import other than to experiment on," Vexen finally said, after an uncomfortable few moments, "Though I will admit, she has held that sword for millennia now. No creature has ever been able to keep such a thing for so long. No doubt, she has bonded with it, perhaps even let her soul be consumed by it." Ryou's eyes narrowed. Sith had a need for blood, but that didn't mean her soul was devoured by a simple sword. Then again, he knew nothing about these Esper blades, except that they could each deliver a deadly blow to the Mystics, even with a simple scratch. Vexen could be right.

"How much do you know about Sith?" he asked them, this time truly concerned. If they had been watching her for some time, they'd know of a way to destroy her. They might have even told Rath of it. But Zexion's answer dissipated that fear quickly enough.

"Little," he answered truthfully, "Other than the fact that she was the ruler of Nesce nearly five thousand years ago. And that by her admission, the five forbidden spells of Kratz were released. Not once, but twice by her hand. And that, at the time of the first releasing, she was involved with the creation of the Mystic race. Quite frankly, the fact that she is alive is a mystery that boggles the mind." Ryou's eyes widened. That was far more than he knew, and to them, it was nothing. It was no wonder Rath wanted her dead. The Mystics loathed their reputation and the hatred aimed at them, and they blamed Sith for all of it. Now he understood why.

"But… but _how_?" he asked Zexion, his voice barely above a whisper, "How could she do that? By herself, even?"

"We do not know, and any records of that war have been burned," Zexion replied simply, and sighed, "It is a pity. I would have liked to understand how one woman could cause this much chaos." Ryou's eyes narrowed again. That couldn't, _shouldn't_, have been possible. Sith was powerful, yes, and she was quite old, but how could she possibly wield such a dangerous tool? Her soul, as far as Yami was sure, was still intact, and her heart was still there, embittered and cold as it was. Such awful tumults of power often left the caster soulless. Soulless, and more often than not, dead.

"Then why are you against Sith?" Ryou asked him, and Zexion's brow arched, "Sith is trying to find these answers herself. If you kill her, no one will know." Zexion's lips curled into a smile. Despite his pale complexion and his cold expression, it was oddly beautiful to see. But Ryou knew that, without a heart, that smile was a lie.

"Against Sith Winchester?" Zexion repeated softly, "Oh, no, we are certainly not. Though we do wish for her to join us, even as a heartless, we have no reason to cross her. But as Nobodies, we cannot interfere unless she poses a threat. In truth, we have nothing against her, so long as we can collect the power left by the dead Mystics." Ryou felt his heart pounding. Sith would never allow that, if she understood why they needed that power. Her sword was meant to slay beasts like them, soulless beings without heart or compassion.

"You assume she'd let you," Ryou said angrily, "It doesn't matter how powerful you are. She will kill you, all three of you." That did not scare Zexion in the least. His icy calmness toward the threat terrified Ryou. He didn't think Sith would actually succeed, or perhaps he didn't understand her.

"But she will not kill the Superior," was all Zexion said to him before that disorienting smile returned. But somewhere, something in the young man's eyes changed. Ryou backed away only a step. Whoever this 'Superior' was, even through the words of another, his presence was fully there. Ryou felt an evil force, one beyond even the Mystics, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

From then on, Ryou had no more questions. He had enough to think about as it was, and that presence was enough to send him on edge. It was so frighteningly potent, it might have even scared Sith if she felt it. Such a thought was no comfort, for Ryou had always seen Sith as a pillar of strength and courage, a tree that could not be felled, even from the strongest axe. Yet he understood that these Nobodies would test her strength to its end. He did not forget the power of just one of Zexion's spells, or the force with which Saix wished to kill him. And they weren't likely to hold back on her, either, even if they had nothing against her. Her only hope would be if he somehow killed all three in one blow. Any more, and they'd have enough time to retaliate. He _had_ to get his sword.

Feeling that now was about as good a time as any, Ryou attempted what he knew was the stupidest bout of action he could ever consider. Saix was near the edge of the boat, his eyes closed in what Ryou knew was feigned sleep. And the sword was still on his hip. The only advantage that Ryou had was that he was actively ignoring anything Ryou did. He surely would not notice if Ryou walked up, _silently_, to him, so long as Ryou said nothing. But he would definitely feel if the sword went missing. If only Bakura had taught Ryou to steal. If only Sith had let him.

Ryou had to take the risk. Every second without his sword was another second Saix could use to kill him with it. He ran over, silently as Sith had taught him to be, and was at Saix's side in about three seconds. He glanced over just once; neither Zexion nor Vexen had noticed the movement. He doubted they would. He returned to the sword. It was glowing blue now, warm with the energy coming from _him_, and for a moment, he feared that warmth would alert Saix to his movements. But it hadn't. Saix merely snorted and turned a bit, eyes still closed. Perhaps he truly was asleep, after all.

Ryou reached for the sword, his heart pounding. Perhaps he could get his sword back, after all. His hand was halfway to the blade. He could see it now, he would slay Saix first, and then turn and take Zexion and Vexen down with a single swipe. He was nearly touching the steel now. From there, he would find Sith and warn her, and if the other members came, she would kill them shortly. He felt the cold steel in his hands. It felt familiar and refreshing, and without thinking, he tugged the sword away. Without warning, a hand reached up and grabbed his wrist a second later. Ryou screamed, and found himself turned forcefully away toward the ocean and pulled back until he was held against Saix's chest.

"And what were you about to do with that, you stupid, little boy?" Saix growled, as Zexion turned and Vexen rushed over. Ryou felt the man's breath in his ear, and he shivered. He could feel the anger in Saix rising, like some torrent that could not be slowed. He stammered for anything, any lie that might save him.

"That… is my sword," he choked, feeling Saix apply pressure to his neck, "…my sword…"

"Your sword, is it? From what I can tell, it is on _my_ hip," Saix reminded him, throwing him to the ground. Ryou coughed, and then stood slowly, looking up at the man in fear. Saix was right, after all. But damn it, he _stole_ the sword!

"You took it from me when your little friend knocked us all out!" Ryou yelled, despite the terror within him, "Give it back!" Disregarding his fear, Ryou lunged, knowing that he'd rather die knowing he did something than living with the fact that he hadn't. But Saix laughed and simply sidestepped out of the way, and Ryou crashed into the side of the boat. Then he felt Saix pick him up again.

"That is true, stupid boy," Saix whispered, "And that is because we need this sword."

"So do I," Ryou argued, though he knew that very sword could skewer him as easily as it could a Mystic, "If you want the Mystic dead, give me the sword!" Saix dropped him and laughed. He laughed so hard, Ryou half expected him to fall over the side. He laughed so hard, that Vexen stopped and stared, and Zexion began to look quite terrified of the spectacle himself. And then, abruptly, that laughter stopped. Saix's eyes had changed; no longer were they golden, but pure yellow, with no iris or pupil. They were the eyes of a hellhound, Ryou knew, from the legends and myths he heard from Sith and Katt.

"Take it from me," Saix growled, his voice now a low howl. Ryou understood that his entire body wanted to collapse in horror. Saix was no longer human. He rushed, faster than Ryou expected, and grabbed Ryou's neck. But Zexion was quick to intervene again, and this time, Ryou was glad he did so.

"Saix!" Zexion screamed, grabbing the man's arm, "Do not dare! Our orders were to bring both the boy and Sith Winchester back – alive!" Saix turned sharply to growl, but Zexion's tone was firm, and his eyes were iced enough for Saix to understand that _he_ would be punished solely if Ryou was murdered. He roared in frustration and tossed Ryou to the ground again. Ryou felt his shoulder pop from the blow. And quickly, he crawled away, knowing that if he were any closer, Saix would tear him apart. With or without Zexion's approval.

The hour passed slowly, painfully silently, and soon stretched to two, and then to three hours. Still, neither Yugi nor Malik stirred, and Ryou could not see any land or buildings rising in the distance. Now he was beginning to worry. He had trusted that Zexion knew where to go and what to do, and that they'd get him to the tower. But Tzen wasn't far from the center of the continent, and going by boat was far faster than walking. They should have seen _something_ by then. But the only formations were the rocks jetting from the ocean floor, and the stalactites that clung to the ceiling, which grew higher and higher with every yard gained. Ryou couldn't even see the top when he glanced up.

For most of that time, Zexion and the others were silent still. The only words exchanged was when Vexen complained about having to paddle. And that earned him a very sharp crack on the head by Saix, who grew more and more restless as time passed. Ryou watched them with a mixture of interest and fear. He had never seen Nobodies before, and had never even heard of heartless, either. And, as far as he knew, Sith had never known of them, either. If she had, she never spoke of them.

Yet, for creatures who apparently lacked hearts, Ryou noticed that they still acted very much like a normal person. For one, Saix knew how to pointedly be rude to someone, and Vexen remembered how to be annoyed, nervous, flustered, and an idiot at the same time. And Zexion, who was the most difficult to observe of all, was definitely good at being the voice of reason. It was he who stopped Saix from killing Vexen, or Ryou, for that matter. Then again, it was also Zexion who caused most of this. Ryou simply watched, and listened.

He was rewarded, eventually, when Saix could no longer take the frustratingly long wait.

"_ZEXION!_" Saix roared, eyes still blazing from long before as he glared at the young man, who turned slowly to regard him, "Enough of this, you cloaked idiot! How long until we reach the damned castle!?" Zexion blinked for a long, long moment. Either he wasn't even afraid, or he was waiting for Saix to throw himself into a frenzy and murder him.

"You need to practice patience, Number Seven," Zexion told him, and even Ryou had to admit that was a stupid idea. Saix was undoubtedly very strong, and very good at killing things. But oddly enough, Saix didn't dare to strike at him. He simply continued glaring at the calm youth before him.

"I need my heart back!" Saix snapped furiously, eyes blazing further, "Where is this castle, and when will we fight!?" Zexion's stare turned flat as he regarded his berserk comrade. He looked up just momentarily, and Ryou followed his gaze. They were exiting the tunnels underneath the city, and the open sky was about to greet them. But whatever Zexion was looking for, he did not find it.

"We will fight only if anyone attacks us," the man replied seriously, and Ryou noticed there was also a blaze within Zexion's eyes that wasn't there before, "Until then, you will sit down and calm yourself. Do not forget your place just because the moon is nearly full, Saix." Saix snarled, but he understood that killing Zexion would reap far worse repercussions than good. He sat, his glare never fading.

Zexion was right, however. Ryou soon realized that what he mistook for an ocean was actually a large lake, surrounded on all sides by tall, craggy mountain ranges that poked far into the sky, casting strong shadows that danced on the uneven walls. The wind wasn't strong here, yet as the lake stretched before them, Ryou felt himself shiver. It wasn't from the cold. As they neared, he could feel the tumult of dark energy, evil energy, trying to sweep across them and over the ranges that protected the rest of the continent. It grew with every second, and Ryou expected the peaks to crumble any second. Yet they remained, and only the cold reminded Ryou that the darkness was about. The air was too thin; the dark shrouds were barely seen in the sky here.

Within ten minutes, Ryou saw something shift, and then all at once, he saw the magnificence and terror of the tower before them all. It was a massive, dark shape – indiscernible at first, but soon he saw the spires and domed roofs that adorned the top, their windows and balconies concealed in shadow, either from the mountains or from the magic surrounding the structure. Facing them was a small dock, barely wide enough for a small boat to stop at, but only one hundred feet ahead, he saw the massive, oak doors that admitted passersby to the front hall. Or had, at one time. Now he began to understand why flight was the only way to the tower. Though the tower was no doubt constructed from the ruins of the capital, without the shift in the world, the route from Tzen would have remained inaccessible. Without the shift, Falnika would be dead, and the tower would not exist.

Ryou could only stare as he realized he was finally at Falnika's doorstep. But the only question he had was this: Was Sith there as well?

---

Kaiba had kept his word. Despite the terror, despite the confusion and the doubt, the man kept his word and had worked furiously to build the machines that would allow communication between himself and Sith. Mokuba had given him a copy of the mocked game in question, and it took only a few minutes, and some slight modification to a television, before a roughly patched portal replica was established. Bakura had to say, he was pretty damned impressed. The television was the best quality Kaiba could get, and his laptop had better performance than any other system would. Kaiba was actually going to help them. That meant on some level, he believed the absurdity that magic truly existed. Even more than his machine, his belief impressed the thief further.

Kaiba soon sat at his desk, typing commands into the laptop. Bakura, who was curious and slightly concerned over the thing's success, looked over his shoulder. But he couldn't make heads or tails of the scripts; he knew how to translate _hieroglyphs_, but never had he worked with anything computer-oriented. It was like learning to read Japanese – long, tiring, and it hurt his eyes to see.

"I have some theories about how this Mystic managed to override the gaming scripts and mainframe in the disks to create the actual portal," Kaiba said to them, never once taking his attention from his machines, "You said that Sith said this game was based on a world, some good distance from us, right? My guess is, the memory was overcharged when the Mystics started exerting their power. Since this game is old, few people have it."

"So when Ryou turned it on…" Bakura added, and Kaiba nodded, a sardonic smirk on his face as he glanced toward the thief.

"That's right. Their portal activated and dragged him in," Kaiba finished, and then frowned, "But I highly doubt Ryou was the target. If he was, they'd have killed him. Besides, you said this was Sith's game, right?" Yami nodded, already knowing that Sith had been the target all along. Ryou just happened to be at the wrong place, at the perfect moment.

"That's why she was sent in that world after him," the old spirit reminded Kaiba, "Someone knew Falnika had trapped the wrong person." Bakura, however, wasn't as concerned. He had seen Sith in enough fights to know she could tear most of her opponents apart. Those that lived only did so because Sith was exhausted. He snorted.

"Like it matters. Sith will kill them as soon as she catches up to them!" Bakura exclaimed, and then laughed, "She's not feared for nothing. She _will_ kill with any means."

"Then let's hope we can at least watch it," Ishtar grumbled, as Tea walked in quietly, whispered to Kaiba, and then admitted Joey and Tristan. All three sat down, but only Yami seemed to notice their entrance. Kaiba and Bakura continued their conversation.

"It _will_ work, right?" Bakura asked him pointedly, and at this, Kaiba hesitated. As far as he knew, theoretically, it should have. But this was an element he wasn't used to, and he did understand that magic was pretty unpredictable. He shrugged.

"Theoretically, it should," he said simply, and turned to Tea, "Dear, turn lever three on, and input the code 'ESPER,' into the command prompt." Tea nodded, and Bakura was surprised that she managed to execute the commands perfectly. The lights around them dimmed, but the machine lit up, and the television turned on. At first, all they saw was static. Then, slowly, the image cleared. And there was Sith, accompanied by Aeon and Mello. All three looked exhausted, but Sith was mildly surprised when she saw a sphere in front of her, showing Kaiba's face, and a few feet of his surroundings within. He grinned and said, "Hello, Winchester."

"Kaiba?" Sith inquired, tilting her head, "Well, I'm impressed. Normally, you leave me well enough alone. What happened out there? Get tossed on your ass?" She heard Bakura snort behind Kaiba, but did not see him. Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he regarded her.

"You can say that," the man grumbled, and then said, "In any case, I figured speaking with you will get this mess put in perspective. Tell me you're close to killing whatever the hell caused this." Sith's own smirk reflected his, and Bakura had to admit that the similarity between the two was rather terrifying. If Kaiba had been born an Esper, he may very well have been her brother. Or perhaps a cousin.

"We're close, but we haven't struck," Sith told him grimly, and then frowned, "This place is a maze in and of itself. It shifts continuously, and the monsters are not truly there. They are simply shadows, and dispatching them is difficult at best." Yami hummed, remembering that what he had fought in the city was similar in nature. Then it struck him. The city! It was being devoured, over in the residential district. But when he asked her about it, Sith's look turned to terror. Her face blanched.

"D…devoured!?" she repeated, eyes wide as she studied Yami in the sphere, "Good lord, she isn't aiming to take over! She's trying to _absorb_ you to destroy _us!_"

"You're worried she'll succeed," Yami stated, and Sith nodded accordingly. She was very worried, and with good reason. What Falnika planted was a creature heard of only in legends, only from worlds so far off, Sith had never even seen them. Sim-Seru, they were called. And their entire purpose was to feed off and kill worlds. Especially weakened ones with little magic left. Ryou's world was in serious danger.

"With good reason," Aeon answered for her, when Sith hesitated too long, "What Falnika has planted is called a _Sim-Seru_, a type of monster born from the mists and traces formed when magic becomes too condensed too quickly. The Mystics have temporarily raised the condensation of magic in your world, and no doubt that Sith, Mello, Katt, and I have only added to it."

"You think they planned to bring it here?" Bakura asked the time-keeper, and Aeon had to stop to think about that. There was only so much he could tell, and as of late, seeing the future was difficult, even for him. He couldn't be sure, not with Rath's mental barriers as powerful as they were.

"Sooner or later, it's possible they would have," Aeon finally admitted, "They'd have waited for when Sith was absent, of course, but I believe they would have eventually introduced one of those terrible things. Even if it wasn't in your world." Mello's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the ground. Bakura didn't know what a Sim-Seru was, but he guessed Mello certainly did. And that he didn't like them, either.

"And how utterly convenient that Sith was thrown right in this place," the blonde growled, his good eye gleaming in anger as he spoke. Sith hummed gently and placed a hand on Mello's shoulder to calm him. Then she looked up at Kaiba. There was a lot to discuss with him, she understood, and that the primary reason for even contacting her was to prepare on their side for Falnika's next move. Kaiba was being smart, for once.

The discussion took more than an hour, but finally, Sith had been satisfied, and so was Kaiba. Eventually, Sith and her comrades had to move on, but the sphere remained and followed alongside her; though they were worried about Ryou and the others, Bakura was content to keep his eye on Sith right then. If Ryou was smart, he was on his way home, with Matt, like Sith ordered him to be. And as far as Sith was concerned, he was. Little did she know that he was not, and that he was far closer than she thought.

Little did she also know who had traveled with Ryou, and who had been following _her_ as well. Whereas only three members of Organization XIII were sent to scout the secret passages, eight others already found their way toward the castle, and looked upon it from the ledge of the nearby range. They had seen, and heard, everything between Sith and Kaiba. Now they knew what to expect, and which world would become the newest haven for them. Another world of Nothing, once Falnika and Sith were through. One of them, indiscernible with his hood drawn, looked back at the others.

"So then… this Sim-Seru is going to devour their world," he said, and only his smile was visible in the moonlight, "Wonderful. Tonight, we will have two worlds to take. Now go, and kill Sith Winchester. She is no longer of use to us." And just like that, seven of the eight members disappeared in a flash. One more enemy was added to Sith's list. And it was right underneath Falnika.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

After weeks of being stranded inside of the new world, Ryou, Sith, and many others finally unite outside of the tower's gates. As Ryou travels with Zexion to the front doors, Sith has already made her way inside, with Aeon and Mello behind her. But what of Organization XIII? Why have they joined the fray, and to what purpose? Is it to turn Sith into a heartless, or to gain absolute power from Falnika? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button.


	25. Good Friends are Impossible to Find

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Castlevania, or Death Note. Do I really have to list who does? I mean, honestly, we'd be here all night. I already wasted enough time saying all this. Sorry, Takahashi, SquareSoft, Enix, Ohba, and Konami.

Katt had never had such a frantic week in her life. She had lived a long time – nearly as long as Sith had! – and never before had she wanted to run away and avoid everyone and everything like she did now. Ever since Falnika showed up, and ever since Sith had been trapped, Katt made it a priority to get as fast and as far away from everything as possible. The last thing she even remembered from her friends was running away as Bakura tried desperately to stop her, wanting to know why Sith was gone and what was going on. She didn't blame the old thief for being curious. But she certainly wasn't about to tell him everything. Not about Sith's past, not about Mello, not about herself or Rath. Absolutely nothing. And for about a week, her frenzied escape managed to work. She had found a good hiding spot and had stayed, as everyone around her fled the city or was killed outright. Once or twice, she thought of helping them out, but Katt knew this fight was beyond her. She couldn't even begin to put up a hand against Falnika.

Then, of course, Rex Raptor found her. He hadn't meant to, but he found her in the ruins of what had once been the sports bar in the eastern shopping district. And he knew, simply because of his exposure to Mystics beforehand, that Katt was hiding something. And like all good cops, he jumped the gun and took her into custody. Now, Katt found herself sitting at a scuffed table, right across from Rex. The latter watched her for a long time, taking a swig of beer every few moments. Never mind that he was only seventeen.

"So, you want to tell me why you're hiding here instead of helping us out there?" Rex asked her quietly, and there was something in his tone that suggested he already knew. Katt had to admit, she was already a little scared. She shook her head.

"There's nothing to say," she told him, "I can't fight Falnika."

"What a load of bullshit," Rex snapped, shattering her innocent approach, "You're Sith's _sister_, and you're going to sit here while we _die?_ I should arrest you right now for negligence. The only reason I can't is because most of my department is dead. So cut the crap and tell me the truth. What's really going on, Katt?" Katt backed away. Rex wasn't in the mood for tricks, and she knew there was no lie he'd believe. For a lousy duelist, Rex was incredibly intuitive; even Sith was more inclined to believe her own sister. Her lips thinned.

"Trust me, Rex, if I could tell you, I would," she finally said, and Rex softened a bit at her defeated tone, "I want to help, but Rath is going to destroy Sith if I tell you what this is all about. You don't know what's happened in the past, and the only thing you'll see is that magic is corrupting this world, and probably several more. You won't believe me if I say that Sith is the good guy."

"Why not? Anything's better than those Mystics," Rex retorted, but his tone was more than a little curious. He arched a brow when Katt didn't respond, "…anything _is_ better, isn't it?" Katt looked away for a moment. Rex thought he saw a few tears well up in her eyes, but the lack of light made it hard to tell.

"I don't know," Katt replied quietly, and looked back at Rex, "There's a lot to this story that you don't know, and I do."

"Then why can't you tell me?" Rex asked her, and sighed, shaking his head, "Look, Katt, I want to believe you. I really do. But people are dying, and dead, and you're hiding here while your sister's missing. That's too suspicious for me to ignore. Give me something to work with, and I'll believe you." Katt narrowed her eyes. She knew Rex was desperate, and truly wanted to defend his world. But what she had to say was enough for everyone else to blame Sith for all of this, not just the Mystics. And suppose Rex didn't believe her? He'd pass it off as insanity and haul Katt to prison. Then Sith was screwed eternally.

Katt decided quickly, however, that she needed to take the risk. Sith needed her to do _something_, and right then, Rex was her ally. He was willing to listen, after all. She leaned forward, spreading her hands on the table.

"Let's just say that, a long time ago, Sith unleashed a spell that no mortal should ever control," Katt summarized, "And now Rath wants revenge because that very spell was what should have killed her." Rex hummed. That wasn't quite what he wanted, but it was a start. He smirked.

"Bitter rivalry, eh? No worries. I can work with that."

"It's more complicated than that," Katt was quick to protest, and Rex's grin vanished, "Sith was… Sith was exiled from our world because of that. She took the fall for the five forbidden spells being released in the first place." Rex didn't respond at first, but slowly, the pieces fell into place. Katt had a feeling they would, for she said, "You know the Mystics didn't show up until only two thousand years ago…"

"You're implying Sith was the reason for it," Rex told her slowly, and she nodded, "Which is why they want her dead. I know these Mystics; they feel like they were cheated somehow. Now I know why. Whatever Sith did, whatever she _was_, it created _them_, didn't it?" Katt looked away again. The true event took place over three millennia ago, and the actual incident was hazing at best. But Rex was ultimately right. Sith was the catalyst for it. More importantly, Rath had been as well.

"Partly. Mostly," Katt admitted, and then realized what Rex actually said, "…you believe me?"

"At this point, why shouldn't I?" Rex asked her seriously, "Look, I don't like magic, but I believe you, and I trust your sister. Too much shit's happened for me to not have some level of faith here. I have my own conclusions, but I want to see this through. I just have one question." Katt's brow arched at the request. She honestly hadn't expected him to receive the news so well. Obviously, Rex was far more intelligent than he wanted everyone to think. She couldn't refuse.

"And that question is…?"

"Who _is_ Sith?" he asked, and Katt froze. That was the question she didn't want to answer, the one she was terrified Bakura was going to ask. She had felt his curiosity, and knew he had come to a similar conclusion as well. That was why she ran, after all. To protect her sister and their family's legacy. But now, there was no reason to hide it. Not if Rex was going to help. She took a deep breath. Then, she answered.

"Sith is the queen of Nesce, the world of the Espers. And Rath… is her cousin." Rex nodded. He wasn't the least bit surprised about either of those answers.

---

Ryou looked upon the two large, oak doors of the tower, and could hardly believe that there was no way for mortals to open them. They had stopped half an hour ago at the docks, and while the distance to the doors was minimal, it had taken well over twenty minutes for Saix to examine the entire area, and then admit that he couldn't see a way inside. To Ryou, it looked simple enough; the doors should have normally broken under any huge weight. Saix should have been more than capable of the feat. Yet, when they approached the doors, and Ryou tried to open them, they didn't budge. Nor did they appear to be locked in any true way, and there was no keyhole or opening, either. They were simply sealed, much like the mystical mirror Sith shattered in the last fortress Falnika had hidden in. And this time, not even Zexion could summon the magic needed to open the door. At least, not within his book.

"_Idiot!_ Didn't I say we couldn't open it!?" Saix yelled, when he saw Ryou's pathetic attempts to open the front doors. For once, in the three hours he spent in silence, Ryou finally had it with Saix and his constant snappiness. He turned and glared at the bigger man, half expecting to meet a sword in his face as he spun.

"At least I'm _trying_," Ryou spat, and knew immediately that it was a mistake to say. He was met with a backhanded slap so powerful that it sent him sprawling, and drew blood from his cheek. He was lucky that Saix left it at that. The man turned to Zexion this time.

"You said you had the Espers' power. Use them," Saix growled angrily. Zexion just sighed. Obviously, he didn't want to waste such power on a door. But he was too smart to anger Saix further, and so he obeyed the order. He walked up to the door and closed his eyes. Then, he said a few words in the Esper tongue… but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and stared, and then tried again. Again, there was no response.

"What's wrong?" Vexen asked, as Zexion's brows creased in frustration. It was clear that none of them expected their plan to fail.

"It appears that my power isn't strong enough to unlock this door," Zexion told them simply, and frowned, "Perhaps we needed that red-head, after all." Ryou was about to laugh at them for letting Matt die that way, but just as he stood up, there was an explosion within the castle, and the front doors were blown clear off the hinges, shattering into millions of wooden shards. It was all he could do to duck and cover.

When the smoke cleared and the shards gone, Ryou dared to look up. And his mouth dropped in horror. Another man in a similar dark robe stood there, but unlike the other three, he was actually grinning. Ryou shook his head and stared. He was grinning as if everything in the world were absolutely perfect, as if he were the sole reason everyone else was even alive. His hood was down, and his fiery red mane of hair only added to the already confident look he displayed. To Ryou, he was a Nobody who should've been human. He certainly didn't look as emotionless as Vexen or Zexion appeared. Saix could scarcely believe what he saw, either.

"Axel!?" he cried, "What the hell are you doing?"

"New orders. We have to kill Sith Winchester now," Axel replied with a grin, "Ready to have some fun, Saix?"

"Oh goody, we have to kill an Esper," Saix growled, shaking his head in disapproval, "So what did we bring this human for? Fun?" Ryou had the impression that, if Saix could get away with it, he'd have shoved him clear off the cliffs. Axel just looked at the boy for a moment, and then shrugged. Their leader hadn't actually said anything about Ryou Bakura. Probably because he just wasn't that important.

"I don't know, but let's keep him," Axel suggested, and snorted, "We always need new members, right?" He laughed heartily at his own words, but no one else seemed to share his amusement. Probably because three of them couldn't feel amusement, and the fourth was too terrified to find _anything_ particularly funny. Ryou's eyes widened.

"I'm not joining you freaks for _any_ reason!" he screamed, and Axel finally turned to him. A weird look came across the older man as he stared down at Ryou. It was a mixture of confusion and pure fascination. Then, it returned to mild amusement as that grin came back across his face. He patted Ryou's back, and the boy nearly buckled from the strength.

"Relax. I don't think Xemnas would actually kill you," Axel tried to reassure him, and then tapped his chin and said, "Wait… you're a human, so he might…"

"Axel, what the hell are you trying to accomplish?" Saix asked him flatly, cutting the red-head off. Axel blinked, looking at his friend for a long, overly-drawn-out moment. His grin had vanished momentarily, but it returned ten-fold, and now he looked ready to do something really, really stupid. In any case, it would be something Saix would _not_ like.

"I'm just working for mutual benefits," he replied easily, and threw an arm around Ryou's shoulder, "Look, we're all here for one reason: To make sure Falnika the Wench is dead, right? Why don't we all just work together and get this over with? The Superior didn't say _we_ had to kill Sith. He just said someone probably _should_." Ryou was right when he thought Saix would disapprove. Saix definitely didn't like where this would lead, and neither did the other two Nobodies. But there was something about Axel's grin that made them follow his lead regardless. Ryou just looked up at him.

"You know where Sith is?" he asked innocently, and Axel nodded, arching a brow.

"Of course! Why would I spend two hours following such a cute girl around, and _not_ remember where she is?" Axel commented, and saw how pissed off Saix was getting. He bent down and whispered to Ryou, "Be careful. Saix is jealous because he didn't get to stalk a girl."

"_AXEL!_" Saix roared, his eyes glowing orange, "Get to the goddamned point!"

"It's really just 'cause she's so strong. Saix likes his women strong," Axel said to Ryou, as if Saix hadn't just screamed at him. Ryou was too frozen to laugh, though. If Saix was berserk _before_, he completely lost himself _now_. His hair flew up in wild spikes, and there were no longer pupils in his eyes. His fangs, so small in his normal form, grew very long and sharp. Ryou was ready to faint; it was like watching a werewolf.

"_**AXEL!**_" Saix screamed so loudly, that the castle shook from his fury, "Tell us where Sith is and _take us to her_, or I'm going to kill each and every one of you! _NOW!_" For once, Axel's amusement seemed to subside, at least a little bit. He was still grinning, but it wasn't nearly as wide, and now he looked rightfully nervous as he backed up a step, arms held up in mock surrender.

"Chill a cycle, Moon Man. I'm just teasing you," Axel said, and turned to lead them inside, "Damn, for someone without a heart, you sure are pissy today. She's up on the eight floor, anyway, so you'll get to see her." Ryou could hear Saix snarling and cursing under his breath, and silently laughed to himself. The thought of _anyone_ as insane as Saix actually trying to hit on Sith was pretty amusing. But the actual possibility of Sith _accepting_ him was even more frightening. Because there was a good chance she might. With a few shots of whiskey, Sith was pretty open to trying anything. Even dating a psychotic, heartless bastard like Saix. And that was assuming he didn't kill Mello first.

"I thought you guys didn't _have_ hearts," Ryou said, and glanced back as he saw Vexen trying to carry both Malik and Yugi inside. The poor guy wasn't very successful.

"We don't," Axel answered, and grinned again, "But that doesn't mean we can't _pretend_. Besides, we still feel attraction. I mean, hell, any guy can look at _Marluxia_, and they'll fall in love no matter how straight they are!" Ryou's face went crimson with embarrassment, but Axel didn't pay him any heed as he turned to see Vexen crash into the ground, both boys falling right on him, "Hey, idiot, leave those two on the boat."

"Those are _my friends!_" Ryou protested in outrage, but Axel just shrugged him off, rolling his eyes.

"My god, is everyone just angry with me today? Fine, don't dump them on the ship," he said, and gave the thumbs-up, "I'll get Demyx to send them right back to their world!" Ryou had no idea what that was supposed to mean to him, but judging by the incredulous stare Zexion gave, it was clear that whoever Demyx was, he wasn't Nobody of the Year.

"We might as well send them to Oblivion," Zexion said curtly as Ryou asked, "Who's Demyx?" Axel just groaned at Zexion's constant disapproval.

"You act like the man's a damn idiot! I mean, he _is_, but he's got _some_ level of skill," Axel told him, and looked down at Ryou, "As for who he is, he's the world's worst fighter and Oblivion's newest hotshot musician." That still meant nothing as far as Ryou was concerned. But as long as his friends were in… mildly capable hands, he was inclined to believe Axel. Yet his own stare said otherwise, for Axel just shook his head and gave up trying to 'help' them.

"Just how many of you are there?" Ryou asked, when Axel decided to leave Vexen and continue into the front hall. It was surprisingly bright, as torches lit the corners and halls that branched from the main one. He could see that Axel was about ready to laugh.

"Are you really this dense!?" Axel asked him, finally laughing a little, "We're _Organization XIII!_ That means thirteen in Roman numerals! Does that spell it out for you?" Ryou's face paled as Axel moved from the doorway toward the double staircase leading to the next floor. He didn't like the idea of Sith facing thirteen opponents with little more than her sword and an exhausted magical arsenal at her disposal. Nor did he like the fact that they both might be joining those thirteen soon, either.

As Axel continued explaining more about the Organization, the four of them moving up the large stairs, Ryou began to consider how he might move next. Now he was inside the castle, and now he was closer to Sith. But that didn't mean his power was back; Saix still had his sword, and Axel was probably stronger than Vexen. If anything, fate dealt him an even worse hand than before. But he'd learn to work with it. He wasn't sure Mello would've been a much better adversary, after all.

The second floor was more complicated than the first. The overhanging balcony that served to overlook the front hall led down the front of the left and right wings, but Axel took the passage that opened immediately in the large arch beyond the stairs. Here, the passage was thrown into darkness, and only the thin slits on the outer walls provided any sort of light with which to see, once they were in the very back and the corner turned left. On the left side were various doors as well, but most were closed. Wherever they were heading, they were obviously taking a back route.

The passage turned again, however, and the arch they went under opened up away from the thin path, into a large chamber where no light entered in. Axel fixed that with a blast of fire that, not only seared the chandelier above them, set the immediate furniture ablaze as well. It managed to scare off several large bats, and cook a few others. The acrid smell of burning leather reminded Ryou bitterly that they were ascending the equivalent of hell in this tower.

Despite the burning of a couch and an old table, however, the rest of the room seemed to have served as some form of parlor. There were two other couches in the center of the room, facing each other, and a table in the middle of that. And off to either side was a small circular table surrounded with chairs, and a few bookcases on the far wall with a chair to serve as a miniature study. By now, thick cobwebs and years of dust had lessened the quality of the furniture, but Ryou could see that in the past, this room was well-kempt. But why Axel would lead them here, he couldn't guess. There was nothing of particular value unless they wanted to try stealing the couches.

"Okay, I think this is far enough," Axel said after his own inspection, and proceeded to walk over and lounge on the nearest couch. He let out a content sigh as he propped his legs onto the couch and stretched. Saix and Zexion, however, simply sat down on the other couch, and Ryou remained standing. This was curious indeed.

"Far enough for what?" Ryou asked them, and pointedly said to Axel, "You aren't taking me to Sith!" Axel waved him away with a lazy hand, his grin widening again.

"Relax, Ryou. I'll take you to see her," the red-head assured him, "But we can't just walk right up there. She's probably fighting something by now, and I'd rather not stain my coat with blood." Saix snorted and turned away, and Zexion just stayed silent. But Ryou was getting frustrated. He didn't want to spend any more time with them than was necessary. And he doubted they'd take well if he acted on his own. He huffed and sat on the arm of Axel's couch.

"So we're going to sit here and wait until someone dies?" Ryou asked sarcastically.

"We're not _cruel_. If Sith needs us, we'll intervene. But we're _not_ going to give her a reason to kill us, kiddo," Axel replied honestly, and sat up to look directly at the younger boy, "Listen. I know we're using Sith and I know Xemnas wants her dead right now, but we don't _hate_ her. Like I said, I'm working for mutual benefits. That includes Sith, too." Ryou risked a glance at the other two. Saix didn't agree, but there was something to Zexion that suggested he did. Maybe he respected the power the older woman held, or maybe he was the Nobody of a half-Espers, but there was a reason he didn't kill Sith and take _her_ power.

"What do you have to do with the Mystics?" Ryou asked them after a moment, and all three stared at him, "I know you want power, but why involve yourself here? This isn't even concerning your world, and as far as I know, Sith doesn't know you." Axel just snorted, and then just laughed. Humans never saw the bigger picture.

"And we don't want her to know us. Our part isn't about her," Axel told him, and his voice began to grow grim, "It's about the Mystics and their power. I'm sure by now you've noticed they use dark variations of the Esper spells."

"With the exception of the forbidden spells, yes," Ryou agreed, wondering what that had to do with anything, "I thought it was because they were spawned from Oblivion, not from Nesce." Axel shook his head, but surprisingly, it was Zexion who answered next.

"Untrue, even though that is what Rath says. They have their own world, and they are born there," Zexion told him, "But it sits so close to the voids of Oblivion, it is considered part of it. And it is only partially true that Oblivion lends them some of its black magic.

"But when you stop and think, what was Amber Rhodes's primary source of power?" Zexion continued, and Ryou remembered that Amber attacked with darkness. Zexion knew this, and answered for himself, "Shadows. Oblivion can spawn monsters, but shadows come from nothingness, and do not truly exist. That is why we've come here."

"See, as Nobodies, we don't really exist either," Axel added, and Ryou blinked, "There are the primary planes, like Space and Time, and then there are secondary ones, like the Shadow Realm and the Realm of Nothing. We, and the heartless, come from the Realm of Nothing, and the latter appears as a bunch of shadows. See where I'm getting at?" Truthfully, Ryou didn't, but he had a feeling that somehow, Amber tapped right into the wrong plane and alerted the Organization of it. And without realizing it, Falnika assumed it was directly linked to Oblivion.

"So what you're saying is that Amber released heartless into our world, and that's why only shadows attack the city," Ryou guessed, and Axel nodded, "But how? How'd she do it?"

"We don't know, and that's the problem," Axel told him, and once again that grim tone threw Ryou off guard, "Only Nobodies can control that plane and not get hurt from it. What the Mystics are doing is causing some nasty shit to hit you. That's why your world's so unstable, and why Sith can't actually do anything. She's literally battling nothing." Now Ryou saw why Falnika sent her _here_. If she realized the fatal error, then battling Sith in their world was no victory. Despite the hatred, Falnika wanted to play on relatively fair terms. And that also explained why _only_ magic could defeat the monsters in Domino. Magic _could_ hit nothing. Weapons could not.

"So you want to stop her," Ryou concluded, "And you know that _you_ can't because you're _nothing_, but Sith _can_ because she's not fighting a heartless. And once you absorb Falnika's power…"

"Bingo. Our existences become a little bit more real," Axel stated, and smiled, "You're getting it already." Ryou felt relief in knowing that they weren't thrilled to be killing Sith off. But suppose Sith failed to kill Falnika. That left him to finish the deed; if Sith died, it'd be because Aeon and Mello went down with her. And with only Zerrkandr to stop Falnika, Ryou would have no choice. The sword wouldn't work for Saix.

"Then that's all the more reason to go up there and help Sith," Ryou urged, and Axel frowned. He was sure Ryou had understood their motivation and method, but obviously, Ryou was more intent on making sure Sith was okay. That's why feelings were so bad; they often impeded on a person's judgment.

"And just what will we do when we find her?" Saix asked him sarcastically, and Ryou froze for a moment. He thought the answer was pretty obvious: to kill Falnika before Sith was destroyed. But when Saix said, "We'll simply be in the way," Ryou saw why him following her was not a smart move. He had never considered that he might just distract her. That explained why she never wanted him to actually fight at all. He wasn't suited for it. He bit his lip and found he couldn't look any of them in the eye. He had a feeling they saw right through him.

"Relax. It took us some time to get that our feelings made our lives harder, too," Axel told him gently, but it felt hollow in Ryou's ears. For a long while, they remained silent. Axel understood that Ryou didn't _want_ to wait and do nothing, and Zexion was respectful enough not to comment on it himself. Saix, of course, was ignoring him entirely, but Ryou didn't care much for the berserker. As far as he was concerned, Saix was a bastard, and he'd bribe Mello into killing him later if he had to. The thought almost made Ryou laugh. Except that the reality that Saix might just kill Mello first crashed in on him a second later. Right about then, he wished he was a Nobody.

Finally, a large bell somewhere in the distance sounded. It was a frighteningly powerful sound, reverberating off of the crumbling walls and stained glass windows, bouncing down the corridors. Twelve more chimes followed it, and each one sounded louder than the last. Ryou looked out the window, trying to discern which way the sound had come. But he couldn't tell; it was almost as if multiple bells had rung. For once, though, Saix didn't ignore it. His eyes widened, and he ran to the window beside Ryou, looking out of it. His eyes shined in the moonlight.

Zexion and Axel joined them as the final bell tolled, and it took several minutes for the sound to dissipate. Ryou felt shivers run up his spine as it died away. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt something stirring on the upper floors. As if a great power had been awakened, or perhaps a great war being waged. If Sith was truly there, that was easily the case. He just hoped she was the current victor. He did not want those bells to be the sound of her doom.

"It is time," Zexion said quietly, almost shyly, and Ryou glanced at him as he continued to stare outside the window.

"Time for what?" he asked, not understanding what could have possibly been diverting the three's attention. He felt another shiver, and looked up at the ceiling as a crash on the floor above resounded. Something was happening.

"You wanted to see her, didn't you?" Saix reminded him, and Ryou saw him smirk in the moonlight, "Well, it's time to go and see your friend. Aren't you happy?"

"Probably not as thrilled as you, Scar-face," Axel joked, and was rewarded when Saix punched him right in the gut. He doubled over, and Ryou was surprised he hadn't been thrown through the glass. Then again, Nobodies could take physical pain far better than humans could. For all he knew, all Saix did was _tickle_ Axel. And break the poor man's ribs.

"Let's go," Saix growled, and stormed out toward the far wall, opposite the arch that they had entered through. Ryou glanced at Zexion, and they ran out after Saix. The hall was long, narrow, and dark; again, the only light was the moonlight that slipped through the slits in the outer wall. But Ryou noticed now that he could hear the ocean clearly, and looked down one of the slits. Waves crashed against this side of the citadel. He was relieved that they weren't leading him in a circle.

The stairs on the other end of the hall led them to the third floor. On the outside, Ryou had thought the tower was at least several tens of stories high; he was mildly surprised to find that this floor seemed to be more of an attic than an actual part of the tower. The stairs had led to a small room with an arch that opened to a central chamber that took up the entire third story. And from what he saw, there was nothing within the chamber. Though, Ryou had to admit that he could only see about five feet ahead of him, if that.

When he tried to pass under the arch, Zexion and Axel stopped him abruptly. Ryou jerked to a halt, and looked up at both of them. They had said they were going to see Sith, and so it was hard for him to see why they were stopping him. He peered into the dark again. But he saw absolutely nothing. Just pitch black. Nor did he feel any evil around them. If there was any, it was suppressed. Yet, he could sense that both Nobodies were hesitant to just run inside. Even Saix, who seemed undefeatable, seemed unwilling to rush in, with Zerrkandr, no less.

"What's wrong?" Ryou whispered, but even then, his voice bounced around the walls and was magnified beyond his comfort. He winced; he didn't mean to be that loud.

"We're not alone," Saix told him grimly, looking into the darkness, "Falnika has gone too far now. She's awakened the three Statues of the Magi."

"The… what?" Ryou asked, tilting his head. He had never heard of such a thing before, and he doubted Sith would've kept it from him. Unless, of course, she felt that telling him would be for the worst. Zexion glanced at him for a moment.

"She never told you," he guessed, and that almost hurt Ryou, "There were once three gods of the Espers, before even Bahamut's time. They were: Poltzghast, Druehg, and Dihanna, and all three had the power to create the Esper race. But when their power became too great, they were turned to stone so that Oblivion would not fall to complete ruin.

"They did it to themselves, of course," Zexion continued quietly, "But it was said that copies of them were erected to fool any who would try unleashing them again. And we've run into one." Ryou's mouth dropped. The horror Falnika could instill never seemed to cease. Had she truly woken up one of the three gods? If so, then the Light of Judgment was not their worst worry. The only question was, which god was it? When he asked, though, Zexion shook his head and said, "I do not know."

"Now's not a good time to be getting into a fight with one, though," Axel admitted, and for once, his voice sounded shaky, "Zex, tell me you can get us out of here." Zexion's skin paled a bit, looking almost white in the dark. He was smart, and he was powerful, but against an Esper, he was only mildly threatening. Against a _god_, he was nothing.

"You're asking me to work miracles," the young man stated blandly, clutching his book, "The best I can do is cloak us, and that won't work. Not against one of _them_." Ryou dared to glance at Saix, just to see his opinion. What he saw was that Saix wasn't as willing to back down as the other two. Then again, the sword on his hip and the claymore in his hand might've helped him with that; Zexion was unarmed save for a book, and Axel seemed more intent on running than facing off against an Esper.

"Leave your enchantments at the door. I'll go and face it alone," Saix told them, and for once, he almost sounded sincere. Zexion was more than a little concerned, and Axel was downright surprised by the statement.

"Are you _insane!?_" Axel blurted out, "Saix, we're talking about Esper _gods!_ We could've handled Falnika and Sith, but now we're stepping into a monster pit! You can't! You'll be _murdered!_" Unfortunately, it took more than a threat to discourage Saix. He stared at Axel for a long moment, his eyes narrowing flatly as he considered the words. It was true that he was at a disadvantage, but he could just go completely berserk and do some slaughtering of his own if needed. His own fury was normally enough to even out the odds.

"I think I'll be just fine," he replied, and went to step forward. Axel, however, wasn't convinced. Sure, Saix was a jerk and never actually listened to him, but they were friends. At least, they _almost_ were. Axel couldn't let him commit suicide. He grabbed Saix's arm.

"Seriously, don't be a moron, Saix," Axel insisted, and his brows creased, "Even if it's a copy, an Esper god is nothing to joke around with. You won't survive." Saix obviously didn't agree, but he could see why Axel was worried. Sith had been hard enough to track down, and he could already feel her battling up there. But _what_ she was fighting, he didn't know. He looked down for a minute.

"Then I suppose it's time to die," he said with a shrug, and Axel's eyes widened. Without so much as a goodbye, Saix walked right into the room beyond, leaving the three to stare in complete and utter bewilderment. Ryou had to admit that not even Sith was so coldhearted when death was so close to her. But Sith wasn't a Nobody; she still knew what fear was.

"Saix! Get back here, you lunatic!" Axel yelled, running to just the edge of the arch, "Saix!! Seriously, I'm going to get the Superior if you don't get your berserker ass back here! _SAIX!_" Saix either didn't hear him or completely ignored him. Ryou banked on the latter, for Axel just shook his head and said, "What a fucking idiot…"

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Ryou asked, and Axel looked down at him in mild amusement. The thought that Saix would need any of them was ridiculous; he was second-in-command of the Organization, after all. And he was in that position for a reason, a reason Ryou quickly realized he _didn't_ want to see. If the psychopath wanted to get himself killed, who was Ryou to stop him?

"Nah, I think we should wait here and see if Berserker Boy comes back scooting on his ass," the red-head replied, and suddenly he sounded confident again, despite his friend having just sealed his fate, "Saix is stubborn. If he wants something, he gets it. Besides, I'm _sure_ he'll let us know if he needs any help." That simply confused Ryou even further. Didn't Axel just get through _begging_ Saix to stay with them? Quietly, the boy turned to Zexion, but the latter seemed to be pretending that the ceiling was far more interesting than anything they were talking about. Ryou just shook his head.

"How will he…" Ryou began to ask, but a snarl, followed by a feral roar immediately afterward, cut him short. Ryou's eyes widened, and he heard a crash as something very heavy was just slammed into the wall. It barreled through, spitting stone and dust as the creature within continued rolling, slamming right through the other wall and into the other side of the chamber beyond. Axel laughed hysterically, and drew out two chakrams from his cloak.

"Well, time to go join the fun!" he exclaimed with a grin, and beckoned toward the other two, "Zex, Ryou, let's go! Saix is going to get all the gory parts!" Zexion just sighed as Axel ran in next, but Ryou just stood there, frozen in horror and disbelief. So far, he learned two things about Nobodies: that they were raving lunatics, and that they were obviously very, very stupid. And now he'd have to fight alongside them. It truly was time to die. Assuming Saix didn't kill whatever was in there first.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Ryou, and about half of Organization XIII, managed to get inside of Kefka's tower, and now they just need to find Sith and kill Falnika. Sounds easy enough, except that they've come face to face with one of the three original Esper deities. With Saix in his berserk state, and Axel in his overconfidence, can Ryou and his would-be teammates win the battle and move on? Will Sith be able to dispose of Falnika before the rest of Organization XIII finds her? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	26. Organization XIII gains new members

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Castlevania, or Death Note. There are too many crossovers to name who does. Most of them come from Square-Enix, Ohba, Konami, and Takahashi.

Sith wasn't doing a particularly good job of getting herself, Aeon, or Mello inside of the tower. She had _managed_ it, of course, and she had Kaiba to help her out a bit, but now she was just plain lost. Something had happened, something she couldn't quite explain, but the more she tried to get a bearing on where she was, the more confused she simply became. It was as if the tower itself shifted every time she thought she knew where she was. Hallways twisted and turned, heading up or going down, and soon Sith had no idea where she was or which way they'd come from. It was almost like her mind was being torn apart by the constant changes. She certainly wanted to bash her head against a wall, to say the least.

Right then, she had forced them to stop along one corridor in the high tower, which would have – no, it should have! – taken them back to the main channels of the fortress. But instead, it seemed as if the hall stretched on, having no end whatsoever. The only thing to tell her that she was making progress was the outdoors; it showed they were heading closer to the western coast with every step. But that barely had any significance. Without knowing just where she was, she could have been in a dungeon, for all she cared. She sighed tiredly. She was too damn old for these games.

"Kaiba, tell me you have a map on this thing," she said miserably, wiping her forehead. Sweat had collected, a cold sweat that stemmed from the panic she began to feel. Why couldn't she remember this place anymore? She heard clicking on a keyboard, and knew Kaiba was working hard to bring one up. He frowned as he looked at it.

"…according to it, you're outside," he told her, and she stopped. That wasn't right. Clearly, they were _indoors_, and the map was _wrong_. Was this Falnika's doing?

"Really? I thought nature had trees and shit in it," Mello stated sarcastically, and snickered, "Unless we're in the stone age." That earned him a whack on the head from Aeon's blade. Obviously, the time keeper was in no mood to joke.

"Stop fooling around, Mihael. We have work to do," Aeon told him sternly, gravely, "Something's amiss in this tower. But I can't tell what it is." He glanced around nervously, seeing shadows everywhere, but not knowing what ones were real, and what could be potential enemies. Sith was not the only one affected. She simply didn't know this. She turned to her old friend, staring blankly at him.

"So I'm not the only one who thinks this tower's changing before my eyes?" she asked, and laughed, "What a relief. For a moment, I was sure my age caught up to me." Aeon snorted, blushing in embarrassment, knowing he was older than she was, easily three times so. Mello, of course, gave her a pat on the shoulder and a hug, grinning at her as if he was simply indulging her. He most probably thought he was.

"Not unless we're all going completely postal," he said gently, and added, "Besides, you're not that old. And if you are, you're good-looking for your age."

"_Mello!_" Aeon scolded sharply, and the blonde just frowned at the shrill call, "Now isn't the time, you idiot. Something's _right here_." Mello finally understood how urgent this was, and he stopped disapproving of Aeon immediately. He let go of Sith and looked around, trying to see just what his companions saw. But there was nothing wrong; the hall looked like a normal hallway. Then again, he was human. The other two weren't.

Then he saw it, only slightly. There were shadows that shouldn't have been there. The light wasn't at the right angle to create them. Yet, they were there, shifting just subtly, just beyond his mortal perceptions. His brow arched as he tried to make out just how they moved. But the movements were too small. It could have been anything. Still, Aeon was right. Something was indeed wrong. Instinctively, he took out his gun and fired a shot. It rebounded off of the stone floor, off the ceiling, and then fell harmlessly out of the window. He expected that, but the shadow had scattered. That was enough to confirm Aeon's warnings.

"Goody. My guess is, there's tons of them, too," Mello growled, as Sith drew Zealacht, and Aeon drew his own blade. Yet, none of the other shadows made a move. Sith waited, and waited quite a while. Then, slowly, she lowered her blade.

"What on earth could they be?" she asked curiously, taking a step forward and then stopping, "_Is_ this from Falnika?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ishtar asked her, from inside of the sphere beside her. Sith looked down to see Kaiba typing on his computer, and the three spirits trying to all fit within the sphere's range of sight. She took a breath.

"I can't see her wanting to change this castle _while_ I'm in it," Sith told him warily, "And I certainly can't see her summoning _shadows_. Demons are one thing; darkness is another." Ishtar knew too well that Sith's words meant more than they seemed. What she implied was that Falnika wasn't alone, and no one was prepared to argue the point. Mystics had many allies, and Sith had too many enemies. Any one of those enemies could be the cause for this new worry. But whatever one it was, Ishtar couldn't say.

"Who could, though?" Bakura asked her. But she shrugged, looking at the shifting shapes in one of the corners. They concerned her a good deal, for reasons she did not know.

"I don't have an answer," she replied grimly, and looked out the window, "Who's to say it's even my enemy? Or that it's one I know of?" Again, her tone implied that she knew something they didn't, and Bakura wasn't thrilled with that. He'd have rather known who they should be expecting, rather than going around blindly, trying to swipe at ghosts. But that's how the Mystics played, and Sith was just as adept at it. Blindness was oftentimes one of her best tools, when used correctly. It had kept Amber off guard, after all.

Sith and her team continued down the corridor, and were relieved when it finally turned toward the southern wall, where the old battlefields of Vector came into view. Sith could see the crumbling walls of the old city from there, and was reminded again that she had played a part in this destruction. It was a slap in the face, considering she couldn't even remember how that came to be. With only a passing look, she continued on. Yet more of those shadows came by, and the torrent was thicker here; she could see that several shadows overlapped each other, but for some reason, they kept a respectful distance from her, and in particular, from her sword.

When the path opened up onto a balcony, with no way to pass from there, Sith had to stop. There was another balcony on the adjacent wall, and the railings on both were broken, as if someone had blasted through them at one time and taken a decent chunk of cement with them. She watched for a moment, intrigued. A bridge would have connected the two balconies solidly. Was that a path they could take? The jump, she realized, was too far. She might have made it, but neither Mello nor Aeon would have. She frowned, turning to them.

"Should we jump it?" she asked them both, knowing Mello would agree just to try something crazy. Surprisingly, Aeon smiled at her, a smug, little half-smile that said he felt he had no choice. In truth, he didn't.

"If I say no, are you going to leave me here?" he asked her mockingly, and Sith just grinned. It was a game both of them were used to by then, to see which one was more loyal to the other. Oftentimes, Aeon won simply because he couldn't bring himself to leave Sith. But Sith could easily justify leaving anyone behind, and often did. He understood the unsaid threat even before she answered.

"Yes," she replied easily, and turned to Mello, "Let's go."

"You will not be going anywhere," came a deep voice from beyond, and Sith froze, turning to the balcony. She saw just one figure emerge, but his power was so intense, it sent shivers up her spine. He wore only a black robe, the hood pulled over to mask his features, and she could see that even without his supernatural power, he was well-built and muscular. For once, this concerned her a good deal, for she did not know whose side he was on. And she had a feeling several more were only a few steps behind him, all equally as powerful, or just around it. He stared at her, and smirked, "Hello, Sith Winchester. It is nice to meet you."

"Who in hell are you?" Sith snarled, drawing her sword immediately. She felt Mello loading his gun directly behind her. The man on the balcony just laughed. It felt dry and humorless.

"Who are _we?_" he corrected, and now several figures joined him, and two more blocked the doorway Sith's team had just entered, "We are Organization XIII. And we are pleased to finally have you in our presence." Sith was far from wanting to be cordial. She could see the man speaking was grinning. She wanted to jump across and punch his teeth out. And then make him choke on them.

"Stand aside or I will cut you all down," she growled. He just sighed, shaking his head.

"Pity. I offer my friendship, and you treat me as you would those Mystic scum," he said simply, and sighed again, "I was going to offer you the fifteenth rank, as well. You would have made a fine member, possibly exceeding most of our younger members."

"I have no intention of joining you!" Sith yelled at him, and now her eyes blazed with red, "What do you want of me? Why have you come here!?" Mello put his hand on her shoulder to steady her, and Sith silently was glad for it. Right then, she was becoming afraid; she had no idea who this man, these people, were. And she did not want to know. But she knew she had more enemies. The man just smiled, but whether it was wicked or not, she could not see.

"Power, Sith, and nothing more," he told her honestly, "Believe me when I say that we want Falnika eradicated, and believe me further when I say we'd prefer it to be done with you alive and well. We wish you no harm."

"I don't believe you," Sith was quick to say, and for a split second, the man winced. That was enough to let the silence linger. And it did so painfully. The two simply stared at each other for a very long moment, and only the click of Mello's gun reminded them that there were others with them. Quietly, Sith said, "Give me a reason to."

"There is none," the man replied firmly, "I give you a choice, Sith. Join us, become the fifteenth member, help us achieve power, and help us complete what we wish. Or walk away now, and let us absorb the darkness Falnika has created." Again, the silence dragged on. Behind her, Sith could feel Mello wanting to shoot everyone who had appeared, and could feel Aeon wanting to erase them from time. But for some reason, she felt no evil from anyone here. In fact, she felt nothing at all. She studied the man very carefully. But there was little she could figure out. That was a first for her.

"What is your name?" she asked him. Surprisingly, he answered her.

"Xemnas."

"And what if I were to refuse your offer, Xemnas?" she asked him. His next reaction did _not_ surprise her in the least. Finally, he removed his hood – white hair cascaded down his shoulders, and she saw that his eyes were a piercing golden, and his dark complexion did nothing to hide it. Despite that, though, he looked calm and even a bit amused with her words. But that was not what had caught her attention. What had done it was the fact that, as his hands dropped to his sides, a blade of red energy appeared in each. For all of his calm and cooperation, he had no intention of hearing a refusal.

"I am afraid, Sith, that such an answer is unacceptable," he told her, and a smile appeared, a smile that she could not trust, "You understand that this isn't personal, correct?" Sith just snorted, and a smirk appeared on her. To the other members of the Organization, that was a stupid idea. But to her, this was another man who did not know who she was or how many like him she'd already killed. And to Xemnas, this was a foolish woman who did not understand how much his generosity was worth.

"I understand when a threat has been issued," she said quietly, and in a heartbeat, she leapt off of the remainder of the railing, right toward Xemnas, "And I understand how to eliminate those threats, too." And with that, she struck.

The hit had connected with a terrifying, sickeningly loud crack. Sith had flown right across the chasm, and had met Xemnas head-on, Zealacht slicing through and hitting him solidly. By all accounts, and from Mello's view, she should have won. But Sith had seen Xemnas as she struck him, and knew that as soon as her sword hit, she had lost. For, while it went through him, that was what he wanted. And he had melted as the sword went through, only to reform a second later, when he was safe. And this time, Sith was vulnerable. He thrust both blades forward, skewering her. But rather than shove her over the edge, to her death, he pulled her closer until he had one arm around her, the other keeping one blade in her. She was pinned. And she was horrified.

"That was a terrible mistake," he whispered in her ear, and she jerked wildly, her body no longer responding properly to her commands. Blue blood was already dripping off of his blades, but he paid it no heed.

"You… bastard…" Sith breathed, but he just laughed and pressed his arm tighter, Sith wincing as the blade went deeper.

"I will turn you into a heartless, even if I have to tear your heart out of you," he said to her, "I don't like the word 'no." He laughed again, knowing that if Sith could have, she'd have struck him soundly. It was almost funny; she was his peer in power, yet she could do nothing right then. He grinned and said, "Well? Nothing to say?"

As a matter of fact, she had a lot to say. And her first step was to spit in his face. Then, she said, "If this is how you get a heart, you suck at it." With a strength she should not have had, she shoved him backwards, and he stumbled, crashing onto the floor and staring up as if she had struck him. Likewise, his companions were shaken by the move, as well. Xemnas should not have been pushed away so quickly.

"You…" he breathed, and then suddenly he stood and smiled, "What a powerful will you have. Truly, your power is incredible." Sith would've been flattered, if she weren't currently on the brink of bleeding out. Those blades, whatever they were made of, were the bane of her. They cut deep and left inward burns that ate at her, sapping the little bit of strength she had left. It was all she could do to just stand.

"I've heard that before," she growled in pain, "Got any other tricks at winning a heart, or can I try my hand at breaking _yours_?"

"We don't _have _a heart!" one of the others whined, and this time, both Sith and Xemnas turned. Whoever it was, he immediately regretted speaking at all. And when three blades were aimed at him, he wished he were dead. Mello had to admit, as he let his gun drop, that he was impressed. Whoever these people were, they were dumb as horseshit.

"What are you all?" Sith asked, standing beside Xemnas as he stared at his fellow flatly, almost annoyed. He glanced at her for a second. There was something about the way he looked that made Sith soften. Despite the attack, he did not seem to want to kill her. Just to take her heart, and turn her into some sort of monster.

"We are Nobodies," he replied calmly, "People without hearts."

"And so you're going to take mine," she concluded, incorrectly at that, "You should have chosen better. My heart's far from pure, Xemnas. I'm just as heartless as you, and I've had four thousand years to dirty it up." Xemnas's smile softened, as if he were speaking to an old friend about things that had transpired and were beyond them both.

"But you still have it, and its power is great," he said to her quietly, almost shyly, "We _need_ it. Just as we need the Mystics' power. To complete us." Sith finally stumbled and was about to kneel; the pain was growing too much and her vision was dimming a bit. But Xemnas wasn't entirely evil. He held her up with one arm, and stared right at her. She understood now why she felt nothing. Because, without a heart, there could be no good or evil within them. She felt pity for them, all of them.

"You understand that if you do this, you will be blamed for the corruption Rath has caused," Sith told him gently. He seemed to have already known this, for his smile widened a bit, and he nodded.

"We are more than prepared," he replied, "Even for your kind."

"I want to help you, for I understand what it is like to lose part of yourself," she said truthfully, and he didn't doubt her words, "I am also seeking something I've lost to the darkness, though it is not a heart. If we are not truly enemies, then we can aid each other." Xemnas hummed, considering that. He wanted as little to do with mortals as possible, but Sith had a point. Falnika wasn't the end, and Rath may have known of his group already. Sith would have a lot of information, and he would have a way to get to the mad Mystic easily. But what was in it for him?

"And what would benefit my group from this?" he asked her plainly, but she didn't answer before Mello aimed his gun, straight for Xemnas's head.

"The fact that you're still _alive_ should've been enough of a reward, you son of a bitch," Mello growled, as Aeon said, "Release Sith or we'll end your lives, heart or not." Xemnas arched a brow. If he 'released' Sith, she'd fall to the floor and harm herself. He still needed her. Besides, could one man and a time keeper truly stop him? He didn't think so. He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Pitiful fools. I am trying to help you," he told them, "Did I not say we wish Falnika dead?" Aeon was quick to admit that he had, but Mello wasn't as trusting. And for the three spirits within the sphere, they had also seen that Xemnas had done a good deal of damage to Sith. Help or not, if Sith died because of that damage, they would lose regardless.

"Sith can handle the Mystics without you," Bakura said quickly, as Joey came up to see and added, "Yeah, we did fine without you jerks!" Xemnas stared at the sphere for a long moment, and half considered shattering it and ending their annoyances. Sith seemed to be the only one who understood that he had more than just a set of ethereal blades at his disposal.

"Then why is she about to die, if I let go of her?" he asked them softly. Mello already had an answer for that, and it came in the form of a blast from his gun. It hit Xemnas squarely in the chest, and he hadn't been prepared for it. The Nobody staggered back, dropping Sith, who crashed onto the floor as he did.

"Because you fucking _skewered_ her!" Mello yelled furiously, and then realized the consequence of his action. Sith could not support herself. And he was across the chasm, unable to get her back up. Xemnas growled, knowing he took far more damage than he should have. He snapped his fingers, and two of the others ran to him. He pointed to Sith.

"Xaldin, take her and wrap her wound. Xigbar, keep a gun on those two at all times," he ordered sternly, and looked, realizing that three others hadn't joined him yet. He frowned and said, "And for the love of hearts, someone figure out what is keeping Zexion so long." Some of the figures looked at each other for answers as the two in question performed their respective orders. Mello realized he was at a complete disadvantage. His gun took time to reload, and Xigbar had _two_ guns pointed at him. He knew now why Sith chose not to fight. Xemnas had a lot of ways to convince people to let him be, and sheer power was one of them.

"What're you going to do after you kill Falnika?" Yami asked, and Xemnas looked down into the sphere, "Go after Sith?"

"No. I said clearly that we have no reason to kill her," Xemnas told him, "Sith is of no concern, and may prove useful in times to come. But I do see we have many other problems to eliminate." Yami backed up, knowing that Xemnas spoke of all of them. And if he crippled Sith in just one move, he could easily wipe them all out as well. The only difference was that he'd enjoy killing them all. He did not enjoy hurting Sith.

When Sith was securely in Xaldin's arms, Xemnas turned toward the arch they had entered through. He had seen enough, and he had Sith with him now. There was no need to stay, and with Xigbar standing at the rail, those fools of hers wouldn't dare follow. He glanced at Xaldin and looked down at Sith quickly, to which the other Nobody nodded. She would live. Xemnas smiled, and moved to leave the room. Behind him, he heard Mello screaming at him, but he simply ignored it. If the fool wanted to try to stop him, he could leap over the edge. He simply wouldn't make it, and either the length of the chasm or Xigbar's bullets would be the end of him. It was no small consequence, no risk at all.

Yet, when Xemnas left the arch and walked down the stairs toward the lower floor, the doors were blown open. And out crashed four figures, slamming into the wall just next to Xemnas, forcing him to stop. For once, his eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected that, hadn't even heard anything happening on the lower floor. Had he been so occupied that he lost his concentration? He couldn't say, but he shook his head to clear it. There lay three of his members, and one human who looked like he should have died moments ago. He just blinked. What had happened, he could not possibly say.

"_DIE, YOU PATHETIC PIECE OF SHIT!_" Saix roared, not even noticing that he had crashed right into his comrades, or that Xemnas was even there. He merely jumped up and lunged right back into the room, claymore out and whirling. Xemnas heard crashing in the next room, and sighed. Saix obviously wasn't in his right mind right then. He looked at the remaining two members, who were dazed from the blast.

"Axel… Zexion…" he said flatly, as the former looked up and grinned, "What is going on in there?"

"We found you an Esper god, boss man!" Axel told him excitedly, as Zexion groaned miserably and said, "Yes, and I believe my abdomen, shoulder, neck, spleen, hip, and rib cage have all been dislocated thanks to your commander." Xemnas could only stare, unable to figure out if he should just shake his head and walk away, or kick them both and drag Saix back out. What they'd done was just reckless, after all.

"…Ryou!?" Sith asked, when she shifted a bit in Xaldin's arms. She looked down and saw that he was even more of a mess than Zexion was. Though, that really was just because the others had all landed on _him_, not because he was seriously hurt. He looked up at her, and was genuinely glad to see that she was moderately safe.

"Hi, Sith. Did you meet Organization XIII?" he asked, knowing she already had. Her reaction was priceless. Her mouth dropped and her glasses fell off, revealing the disbelief and sheer terror in her eyes. Ryou wasn't even _afraid_ of these freaks and their idea of _getting power_. And right about then, with Saix's loud outburst, that idea consisted of roaring, snarling, crashing into things, and generally causing enough destruction to wipe out the continent. And nearly killing her and her friends in the process. She shook her head. This was just typical.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" she asked, though she hadn't really expected an answer. Then, of course, she realized that there were a few problems. Matt, Malik, and Yugi weren't with Ryou. Curiously, she asked where they had gone to. And when she learned of their fates, she turned and glared at Xemnas.

"What does he mean, _you left my friends to die!?_" she yelled, and struggled to get out of Xaldin's powerful grip. But Xaldin would not let her go. Xemnas's brow was arched in confusion as well. As far as he was concerned, Vexen had gone to send them right back to their worlds, save for Matt.

"I assumed one of the three I sent as sentries would see them back just fine," he told her truthfully, and then he thought about it a second more, "Save, of course, for Mail Jeevas. We left him in that trench so he couldn't interfere." He soon learned that was a terrible mistake, however, for at that, Sith did manage to break free. She leapt away from Xaldin, her tail slamming into his face when he tried to grab her again. And then she lunged straight for Xemnas, knocking him clear to the ground. Her bulk was far more solid to him than he thought possible, given her size.

"You left Matt! You son of a bitch!" Sith yelled, clawing and punching the Nobody with every ounce of strength still in her, "You liar! You have no use for me at all, or for my friends! You will be the death of us all!" Xemnas grunted and threw her right off, sending her sprawling onto the ground before him. But he didn't attack her afterward; she was half-right, after all. He merely stood and dusted his cloak off, staring down at her as if she were a spoiled child he'd been berating. Then he sighed and looked at Zexion.

"What is the report on the upper floors? Can we get up?" he asked seriously, barely reacting when another loud explosion from inside the room sounded. Saix was obviously winning the fight, or at least he was close to. Zexion noted this, for his eyes narrowed a bit and a drop of sweat rolled down his face.

"As soon as Saix is done, we can," the young Nobody told him flatly, and looked at Sith, "…sir, is she… dead?" Xemnas didn't look back, but he knew Sith hadn't moved yet. He smiled. She wasn't dead; something so pitiful couldn't kill her, though it probably knocked the wind out of her a bit.

"She is not. Pay her no heed for now," Xemnas told him, and his eyes flashed for a second, "Should she prove troublesome, I'll restrain her."

"Please don't hurt her!" Ryou pleaded, though he knew that sounded pathetic against all of the Nobodies in the room. They turned, and he was quick to add, "She's the only one who can stop Falnika and safely seal the void that'll be left behind." At that, silence greeted him, a silence that told him they didn't like what he had just said. But he didn't care. If they didn't like it, they could fight Sith about it later.

"We intend to absorb that void," Xemnas said calmly, simply. But Ryou shook his head. He wasn't an expert, but he knew nothing could be that easy, and that what they truly wanted wasn't actually what they thought it was. Amber might have reined in their shadow power, but Falnika hadn't.

"If you do, you'll be devoured by the darkness, not strengthened," Ryou told him, and Xemnas stopped, staring, "The void left behind is a piece of Oblivion. It swallows anything that gets too close. I've seen it, it's almost done so to my own world twice. Sith is the only one who can close it." Xemnas was not concerned. He waved the problem away and turned.

"It will not swallow us," he said, but Ryou couldn't agree, not ever. He grabbed Xemnas's arm as the man tried to walk away. Xemnas glared at him.

"Please don't try!" Ryou urged, "You'll be killed by it!" That silenced anything Xemnas would have said, for he could only stare down at the smaller boy, his eyes wide. He hadn't expected that such a thing could ever kill him; he _was_ darkness itself! But more importantly, he hadn't thought a human would care. Humans shunned Nobodies for their lack of hearts. Which was almost ironic.

Quietly, Xemnas asked, "Why would that worry you?"

"Because Sith wouldn't want that," Ryou answered honestly, brows creasing, "You might think you don't have hearts, but I don't think Sith agrees. That's why she didn't kill you. Because she knows how painful losing something is. Please, you have to believe me. If you want your hearts, don't absorb the void!" Xemnas wasn't sure if he could believe the boy, but some of his cohorts weren't as rigid about the voids. They looked at each other, some murmuring, others simply staring, but no one knew what to say. Darkness was darkness… wasn't it?

"How can we believe you?" Zexion asked seriously, but Ryou knew that if he had any hopes for stopping Falnika _and_ saving Sith, it'd be by pressing forward.

"Because hearts can't be created from nothing, and that's what Oblivion is," Ryou said firmly. Everyone just looked at Xemnas. The choice was ultimately his to make. He looked back at Sith. She was still, hadn't moved an inch. Was it possible Ryou was right, and only Sith could do this? If so, then she might be able to give their power back afterwards, regardless of Falnika's fate. Xemnas had to consider it.

He was silent for quite a while, and it was painfully clear that whatever that meant, it terrified the rest of his ranks. Ryou could tell he was deciding on what to do. Sith would be difficult to convince to give their power back, but it wasn't an impossibility. Her job was to ensure balance between power, and the Mystics had tipped it too much in their favor. But then again, Xemnas had attacked both her and Mello. She wasn't about to forget that one. Ryou knew he'd have to help out if it came to that conclusion. Xemnas also understood this; he didn't miss Sith's reaction when she saw Ryou.

"Xaldin, gather Sith up and let us get Saix," he said firmly, "We have a Mystic to eliminate." Ryou smiled weakly. For now, they gained some powerful allies. But that left Mello and Aeon, who were still cornered by Xigbar. It was even likely that Mello had gotten himself killed.

"What about Sith's friends?" Ryou asked, and then pointed to the sphere, "And my own world?" Xemnas stared flatly. He loved power, but all of these different parties were too much for him to possibly handle alone. He now wished he hadn't hit Sith at all. She was better at crowd control.

"Your friends can watch and wait," he said pointed, and then looked up the stairs he had come from, "Xigbar! Cease and desist! And bring that pathetic human and his time-keeper with you!" He smirked when he heard a complaint from the 'pathetic human,' but it didn't take long for Xigbar to come down, with Aeon beside him. Mello, unsurprisingly, was now unconscious and slung across Xigbar's back. Ryou almost laughed, except that if Sith woke up, she might actually consider killing Xemnas. A fight between the two would end in several casualties that Ryou didn't feel was necessary.

"So, what's the plan, then?" Axel asked, when everyone was gathered together, save for Saix. They all heard another roar, and then a gurgled scream as something was sliced in half. Once again, another flat look crossed Xemnas's face, and he shook his head. His plan _was_ to go and storm the upper chambers. But now he knew the best bet would be to first knock some sense into Saix and remind him that being berserk was good _only_ when he was fighting alone. Which he wasn't doing right then.

"We stop Number Seven from _destroying the damned castle!_" Xemnas yelled, hoping his voice cut through the noise Saix was making, "And _then_, we deal with Falnika." Unfortunately, Ryou saw one flaw in that plan. Falnika had caused some hesitancy with the group as a whole, but the thought of trying to stop Saix made about half of them want to wet their pants. Ryou didn't blame them. For four hours, he'd dealt with Saix's moodiness, and the man had been berserk for most of that time, as well.

But Xemnas was the Superior, and the leader of all of them now. Not even Sith held that authority, for she was unconscious and barely scratched Xemnas when she had struck. And he certainly did not give them the choice to be afraid of Saix. He was already through the door by the time their fear registered.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With Organization XIII's help, Sith managed to be reunited with Ryou. Unfortunately, Xemnas is not so fond of letting the two leave peacefully. For he has his own intentions regarding Sith's ability to seal Oblivion, and that intention is to make himself far stronger. Now, with Sith and Mello unconscious, it's up to Ryou to make sure Xemnas doesn't betray Sith and absorb Oblivion. But against thirteen powerful foes, three Esper gods, and the wrath of a million Mystics, just what hope does Ryou have? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	27. Poltzghast's Proposition

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy, Death Note, Castlevania, or Kingdom Hearts. I don't, and I had to pay ungodly sums of cash so I didn't have to say who did. And it was just for this one chapter.

Matt had managed to get into the castle through the waterways below. It was a miracle he managed to live through the sheer cold of the water, but he'd done it, and he was rewarded with a tunnel that wasn't guarded, and wasn't teeming with monsters. That was the good news, he quickly decided, because as soon as he set toe in the water, his gun had short-circuited. And that left him without a weapon. The bad news was, now he had no weapon and he was in a castle with monsters on the upper floors. It didn't take him long at all to remember that Mail Jeevas was not good when it came to long-term plans. Now he wished he had strangled Zexion when he had the chance.

The tunnel was dark and damp, and the walls were slimy with grease. As much as Matt wanted to light a torch, he knew that doing so would ignite him, so he had to crawl in the dark. Only in a few spots was the tunnel big enough for him to stand, and that made the going even slower than it would have been; he was constantly on the verge of slipping because of his unbalanced stance. But he was patient, and he had learned from Mello how to get around sewers and aqueducts. This wasn't much different. It might simply just have a nasty, little monster waiting for him at the end. No big deal, not with his magic, anyway.

The tunnel was straightforward. Matt was eternally thankful for that, because any time saved was a moment where he could kick the Organization's ass for tossing him into the sea. And that meant he'd be saving Sith and Mello a few bullets, too, which was always good. Mello had a tendency to go overboard, and Sith had a tendency to take a few too many hits before she even reacted. At least when it came to a shoot-out. Then again, Sith wasn't skilled with guns. Swords had always been her best bet, and many foes found their hands sliced off and their legs amputated long before they even realized they had been her target. It was almost sad, except that most of her enemies deserved to go around leg and handless.

The tunnel eventually climbed up, and then Matt found himself in a toilet stall. The smell was putrid, and he would have rather killed himself, but no one was there to hurt him. That was a plus, in his mind. Unfortunately, also in his mind was the knowledge that this was originally a video game. Matt had an even worse tendency to think of life like a game, so when he exited the stall, he immediately threw open the medicine cabinet. And he couldn't begin to guess why he couldn't find potions, ethers, PP Maxes, Rock candy, or stimpaks in there. To him, that was a crime against the gods.

"What the hell!?" he yelled, slamming the door closed, "We're going into the last battle and we don't have shit to heal ourselves with! Is Sith insane!?" He remembered that the last time he asked that, the woman in question nearly stabbed him. And without said restoratives, a stab was as bad as the bullets he'd been shot with, if not worse.

"Man, she'd better have a plan, or I'll kill her," Matt grumbled, and stalked out of the bathroom and into the hall. All was silent there, though he did notice the place was a wreck. There were knife marks and bullet holes dotting the stone walls, and chunks of said walls were missing as well. Not to mention the fact that the lack of light was already disorienting him. The thought of heading right into a battle didn't please Matt in the least.

He followed the corridor to the open area where Xigbar had squared off against Mello and Aeon, and looked up. He saw the decimated railings, and saw that one of the two stained glass windows had been shattered by bullets. But more importantly, he saw an arc of blue blood sprayed across the chasm. It was Sith's blood; he could smell her scent already. His body froze. Sith was already in bad shape when he last left her. She couldn't take much more punishment before the old girl finally died.

"…Sith!?" Matt called, but received no response. Quickly, he moved toward the edge of the room. There were no stairs to the balconies, but the columns had been broken and they formed ledges he could easily scale. He used those and leapt up toward the railing. The footing wasn't ideal, but he was relatively safe, and he was strong enough to pull himself up.

When he reached the balcony, Matt saw that there had been a scuffle of some sort. Blue blood had been sprayed here, but there was also a mixture of red blood, and black liquid that he prayed _wasn't_ blood smeared across the floor and walls as well. Bullets lined one wall in a diagonal pattern, indicating that Mello, or someone else, had gone trigger-happy. Matt walked over, touching the pattern. He knew instantly it wasn't Mello; Mello's gun wasn't a rapid-fire variety. He had taken his specific weapon for power, not for reload time. Whoever this was, they had aimed to kill quickly and leave no prisoners.

Matt leapt across the chasm, worrying for his friends' lives. Sith had taken a fair share of blood loss, and so had a few others, considering the stains on the walls. As he landed hard on the other side, Matt could only pray. From there, the passage was straightforward, and the lighting only marginally better with the slits of moonlight. He didn't dare light a torch in case more of those Organization bastards were waiting for him. Not that they'd live, for he had his own gun, and he wasn't afraid to take a few shadows down with it, either. When the long corridor ended with a staircase heading downward, Matt didn't hesitate. He stormed the steps, taking three at a time, and whipped out his gun as soon as he heard roaring and snarling beyond. There was a fight, but it wasn't in the immediate area.

He stopped when he reached the bottom. The stairs ended in an archway, and beyond that was a large chamber, taking almost an entire floor in and of itself. Someone had lit torches to try and throw some light into the chamber, but it was so vast, the light barely drove itself three feet into the darkness. The room was dim, though Matt could see that there was indeed a battle going on. Or, there had been, at least. The roaring seemed to have stopped, but as he stepped in, Matt saw that everyone who had participated was backed into a corner by a blue-haired, black-cloaked beast of a man, whose eyes were yellow and furious. Matt recognized him instantly: it was none other than Saix.

"Sith, are you okay!?" Matt asked, running toward them. But he stopped when Saix turned on him, snarling and baring his fangs. He barely looked human, his face was warped with such a feral expression.

"You… _AGAIN!?_" Saix roared furiously, drawing his claymore. He lunged, but a chakram slammed right into him, and Saix went skidding across the room as if he were a small puppy. Axel just grinned, whistling to call his weapon back.

"Well, if it isn't Mail Jeevas," the spiky red-head said excitedly, "Welcome to the party." Matt blinked, looking around. He couldn't see much, but what he saw looked pretty destroyed. Saix must have gone completely insane over something, but he couldn't see what had caused it. All he saw was that the room was in shambles; books had been torn apart, their pages scattered, and the windows had been shattered by some form of attack. Glass littered the floor in a glittering display.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked, looking at everyone assembled. The entirety of Organization XIII, save for Vexen, was there. As well as Ryou, Aeon, Sith, and an unconscious Mello. At least everyone was relatively safe. Almost. Sith gave a half-smirk, a look that said that whatever had happened, she wasn't pleased with.

"It appears our little berserker over there has already killed one of the three Esper gods," she answered grimly, and Matt stared, "Druehg did not survive the full onslaught of Saix, let alone Saix in his berserker mode." That didn't help Matt understand it any better, so Sith simply pointed toward something far behind Matt. The red-head turned to see. And, quite frankly, he was shocked.

He had expected to see a body, for sure, but what he saw was so massive, no mortal creature could have been created from it. Standing over thirty feet tall, or had once stood, was a six-armed creature with a bull's head, two spikes protruding from its large skull, and two demonic wings on its back, similar to Sith's save for being pure black. It had the bloated torso of a man, but from the waist downward, it seemed to melt into a mutation between writhing plants and a beast crafted from stone. One horn was cut in half, and both eyes had been torn out. Blue blood littered the floor around it, and when it fell, a crater took the place of the marble floor. It was almost hard to believe anyone had actually done this.

"He… he killed Druehg?" Matt whispered in disbelief, looking back at Sith. She was tense, her visage dark in the gloom that surrounded them. As much as she wanted to be wrong, they all saw that she wasn't. She nodded stiffly.

"Not only that, but he has attracted Poltzghast as well," the older woman added dryly, but no one missed the shiver that ran up her spine. Even Xemnas, who seemed perpetually detached from his emotions, was shaken a bit by this news. He was a Nobody, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew the consequence for killing a god.

"Hey, Sith, if you got a plan, now's a good time to share it," Joey said to her from inside the sphere, and the Esper looked down into it. To her, her plan was to go with only Aeon and Mello, and seal up the power that Falnika had managed to unleash. No one else was to be involved; now that they were, any plans she had would be hindered. The look of extreme annoyance in her eyes said as much. Ryou couldn't help but feel responsible for it.

"Even I am a baby in the face of the gods," was the somber reply, and Joey understood that she had no way to face Poltzghast, "The best thing to do is to run, but we've come too far to do that."

"So we stay up here to die?" Saix asked her, and Ryou noticed that he was no longer completely insane. Apparently, his lust for blood was sated when he managed to slay the first Esper god. Sith was not even impressed. She turned and looked at the berserker flatly, as if that was supposed to convey her feeling about him.

"_We_ are not the ones who've slain Druegh," she reminded him, or more accused, "That was you." Saix's ears drooped, just a tiny bit, from the remark. Ryou could only shake his head. Now, when they were about to stare death in the face, he chose to feel remorse. Or perhaps what Axel said about him earlier was true, too. Sith was rather harsh at times. But in her words, she was truthful.

The reminder was enough to silence everyone, not just Saix. And that was a good thing. Sith took the time to step away from the group, and to see if what she feared was the truth. Druegh did not die silently; the entire castle shook when his body finally slumped to the floor, and Sith's ears could hear his blood pounding on the floors below. Not only that, but both she and Zexion could smell that blood, and its scent was overwhelming. By all rights, many creatures should be arriving to tear them all apart in a matter of moments. The fact that they were safe was just another miracle. A miracle that could just as quickly become a curse.

Sith went close to the body, though Ryou saw she kept a respectful distance from actually touching it. For a moment, she stood, watching it. It did not move, but something held her attention, and now Ryou worried that Saix hadn't finished it off. Another moment, however, and she shook her head, returning to the group. Everyone else held their breath as they waited for her. Even Aeon seemed to want to hear her synopsis before making an assumption and walking into what could be a death trap.

"Well?" he asked her, when she neared. Her expression told him everything: Poltzghast was definitely on his way.

"Anyone who wants to live should run," she told them all, and wasn't surprised when more than one member of Organization XIII made to flee. Xemnas, however, wasn't about to be ridiculed with cowardice. He merely dragged them right back.

"We will not leave," he told her seriously, and she shrugged as if to say 'Suit yourself.'

Poltzghast did not keep them waiting long. He had heard that earsplitting screech, one that could only be heard above a certain pitch, when his dear friend finally left the mortal plane. And accordingly, he descended his topmost tower to investigate the disturbance. It was a silent march - death never walked where mortals could hear it – and within seconds, he was in the room where his friend had fallen. As a god, he could mask himself so no one could see him, and he watched as Sith Winchester approached Druegh's body. And when she turned, he appeared.

Druegh was huge, but Poltzghast was colossal. His frame was so massive, he had to hunch just to fit inside of the room; the upper half of him was humanoid – clad in spiked, red armor, no less! – but the lower half, like Druegh, was mutated and fused into a mount of some sort. In his hands was a large lance that could easily crush all of them in one swoop, and his back was adorned with two large angel wings. But despite the angelic wings, Ryou could feel the horrible aura emanating off of the terrifying beast. He was death personified. Even that god Sith mentioned, Kratz, could not possibly compare. And what made it worse was that Sith did not see him.

"Holy shit!" one of the Organization members screamed, as Zexion backed away and said, "What on earth is that horrifying creature!?"

"Are you talking about _me!?_" Sith yelled, still not having noticed the huge beast lurking just behind her. Everyone stared at her, though it was only for a few seconds. Ryou had to admit that, while Sith was highly intelligent, she had her moments. This was a bad time to have such one. He shook his head and pointed.

"Sith, turn around," he said seriously. Sith normally didn't heed him, but his tone told her she was an idiot if she didn't. So she turned. And when she did, she nearly died of cardiac arrest.

"P-p-_Poltzghast!?_" she screamed, blood draining from her already gaunt face. She stumbled as she backed away, but she got her sword up in time to deflect the blow as his lance came whooshing in. But despite her skill, the sheer force of the blow knocked her clear sideways. She was thrown right into Saix, and the two crashed into the wall, taking Zexion and Aeon down with them. Ryou was frozen; in a matter of just a few seconds, some of their best were knocked down.

"Uh… boss? I think we should just run," one of the members said worriedly, "That thing won't release any hearts, so let's not try to die." But Xemnas had no intention of fleeing. He'd already drawn his ethereal blades, and was ready to hack and slash his way to victory. Inside the sphere, Bakura just laughed.

"That's right, you fucking cowards. Go ahead and run like the shadows you are," the old thief mocked, "I'm sure Sith won't murder you, if she manages to live." Xemnas glared down at the sphere, and was close to cracking it apart. He spat and then turned to face Poltzghast.

"I have made it clear I will not abandon Sith," the Nobody growled at Bakura, and then to Poltzghast, he said, "I see you have come to investigate the death of your friend. I'm sorry to say, my group was responsible." Poltzghast looked down at the man, seeming so tiny amidst the tremendous creature, and nearly laughed. The movement alone rocked the foundation of the citadel.

"So it was not Sith Winchester? How very… disappointing," the god said, his voice rumbling in the large room, "Though we are glad one of our own has returned after three thousand years. Even if it means we must kill her." That only served to piss Xemnas off further, and he crossed his blades, either preparing to strike twice-in-one, or to defend. But Ryou wasn't yet ready to see another Esper fall. He, as well as Sith, needed answers. They were about to get them. Even if it killed _him_ as well. He ran in front of Xemnas, nearly knocking the man off balance.

"Don't!" he pleaded, skidding just before the beast, "Please! Why? What has she done wrong?"

"She has broken several laws of the realm of Magic, slain over thirty thousand of her kind, has endangered three hundred and eighty two worlds with her actions, has slaughtered thousands of the lesser races, and has released the forbidden spells unto the worlds at large," Poltzghast replied calmly, and arched a brow, "The correct question is: what has she _not_ done?" Ryou found himself speechless. Sith had truly done all of that? He couldn't understand how, but he knew instinctively that the Espers did not lie. If they charged her with these crimes, it was truly because she had committed them. But… over thirty-thousand men?

"None of that was her fault!" he heard Mello scream suddenly, "You bastards forced her into this mess!" Ryou turned, stunned to see that Mello had recovered so quickly. But there he was, up, and glaring at the large Esper with a hatred that surpassed even his own for Ryou. Poltzghast looked down, narrowing his eyes. He was not surprised by who he saw.

"Mihael Kheel, the only human to have ever caused us such hardship in the past twenty-three years," the Esper said grimly, frowning, "We have tried… so hard, to keep you from finding her. Like a roach, you have survived everything. Even so much as a god of death cannot keep you down like the maggot you are." Mello grinned wickedly, spitting as he loaded his gun and took aim.

"Kira was a fucking joke," Mello spat furiously, his good eye gleaming as he continued to grin, "You, and your brood of half-assed, lazy, good-for-nothing _witches_ are the ones I'm after." Ryou stared at him dumbfounded. Considering that Poltzghast was a god, Mello should not have been making such crude insults to him. Even for _Mello_, that was a bold and stupid thing to do. Poltzghast's wings rattled hatefully.

"You should not even be alive right now," the Esper hissed, and took his lance, "I shall end your existence." He moved faster than Mello could perceive, and the blonde closed his eyes, fully preparing to be skewered in the next second.

It didn't happen. Poltzghast was fast, but the Organization was far faster. One member crossed by so quickly, and deflected the blow so perfectly, that it sent Poltzghast reeling. And when she spun and kicked his large hand, he dropped his spear. It crashed heavily into the marble flooring, sending shards of the stuff flying off. Mello opened an eye; only Sith had ever been able to deflect such a blow, and that last attempt sent her sprawling on the ground. The member who had just saved his life removed her hood. She laughed hysterically as she looked upon her foe.

"The _only_ ones who shouldn't exist is _US_, jackass!" she taunted, and Mello saw she had deflected the blow with six knives, "Thanks for the insult! Now it's time to DIE!"

"Larxene, stand down!" Xemnas called, as Poltzghast stared at the young woman and said, "Why do you all ally yourselves with this exile? Do you not know that she could have killed each and every one of you?" That was a question not even worth asking. Mello spat again, and this time he took out something Ryou had never seen him use before. It was another sword… one similar to Zerrkandr and Zealacht! But this one was glowing green, brightly so.

"You think we don't know that, you idiot?" Mello shot back, and laughed, "We all knew from the start that Sith could kill us. Hell, she probably would, if she hated us enough! But she hasn't, and we're loyal to her because she has some goddamn compassion for us all! That's more than we can say for you sons of a submariner." That was harsh, but to Ryou, it was true. Fenrir had nearly devoured both of them just a year before, and only because they were human, not Esper. And the Chesiers? They trusted humans even less. This did not affect the god, however.

"You all are fools," he stated seriously, and suddenly, the air around them felt oppressed and constricted as Poltzghast raised his arms, "I shall make you all see what happens when you go against the words of a _god_." Suddenly, the roof of the tower ripped off, revealing thousands of stars against a black sky above them. The walls shook, crumbling, as Poltzghast laughed into the night, releasing the horror his body could emit all around the group. Everyone huddled; there was a good chance they would not survive now.

"Not even all of us can stop him," Xaldin growled, as Aeon stood and said, "He's ripping the fabrics between the realms!"

"How do we stop him!?" Axel cried out, as Sith finally stood, supported on both sides by Saix and Zexion. She looked up; this was what she had feared from the start. They had no choice but to slay the gods themselves. Even Rath, so ruthless and cunning, was far easier to deal with. But now, she had one thing that Poltzghast had not counted on. The blow to her head was enough; the power surged from the blast had done it. She remembered what she had done. And now it was time to make amends.

"Here it comes," she growled, and when the god released a bolt of energy, Sith was in the air. Her wings were damaged badly, but her body was able to get her to leap high enough. She used the blast to propel herself, and aimed her sword. The claws from the mutated mount lashed out, but Sith was faster, even without her regained skill. She spun in a flourish and cut the left claw clean off. But the move had thrown her short. She landed just before the beast.

"Ready to die this time?" she asked gravely, sword still drawn. Even if her opening was gone, she had more than enough fight to buy everyone else time if things went ugly. Poltzghast was surprised, however. She was much faster than he remembered. Obviously, three thousand years of warping across Oblivion only strengthened the woman.

"Sith Winchester, you dare to disrupt your own sentence," he spoke, but Sith was quick with words as well. She cackled and spat on the ground beside her. It was an insult, Ryou understood.

"Shut up," she growled, and Ryou saw her eyes flash red, "I've had quite enough of your punishment. I have already dealt with the fact that this mess between my cousin and I was done by my hand. Now shut up and let me finish the job."

"How _dare_ you!" Poltzghast roared, as Ryou gasped and said, "Rath is your _cousin!?_" Sith turned to him, and there was that look she rarely had, as if she were years and years older. It was in her eyes. She nodded grimly, almost infuriated at the admittance.

"It was a long time ago," she began, and turned back to Poltzghast, "But there is a reason Rath is after _me_. A war would not cause such hatred. But the fact that she is my only living relative, separate from Katt, is. My family exiled her from the kingdom, and she wants her revenge." Ryou thought that was a childish reason to endanger so many worlds at once. He shook his head.

"But she had it when you lost your magic!" Ryou cried, and Sith's shoulders relaxed a bit. She closed her eyes, as if the statement were painful to hear.

"I've regained my power tenfold, Ryou," she reminded him quietly, and looked back, "You will never understand the dynamics of this battle. But one day, I will tell you what happened and why. Maybe then… you can build my legacy for me." She turned back, her brows creasing as she considered her foe, "For now, however, I'll forge a tale where I slay a god _in addition_ to the numerous crimes I've already committed."

"At least you're honest," she heard Ishtar mumble from inside the globe, and she let herself laugh. But it was short-lived. Poltzghast was not amused in the least, and the fact that Sith was willing to kill him was enough to end her life with a thought. Yet he didn't. Druegh was a fool to side with Rath, and Dihanna was imprisoned by her. He had no such ties, and he had no need to be killed. Despite the ease with which he could end the woman's life, he knew that if he did, she'd take his before her last breath. Sith was not to be underestimated, even by the eldest of Espers.

"Slay a god? I do not think you will," he replied, and Sith looked up, "I should end your existence for your slander against me, but I have a proposition for you." Sith lowered her blade, but did not dare to sheath it. That would be a foolish move.

"I'm listening," she replied, and her ears lowered, "Speak before I change my mind."

"You intend to pay for your crimes by ending the threat and erasing what has been done to our race, correct?" he asked, and at her nod, he continued, "Then do this. You have what you need and the time is upon you. End Rath's life and fulfill your family's legacy, and then we will consider freeing you from your internal hell." Sith listened; that was a deal made long ago by Bahamut himself, and yet she still had not been able to fulfill it. But now was different. She had more allies and the world was highly resilient despite the magical onslaught it endured. The truth was revealed: they did not care what she did, so long as she merely ended Rath's life and came out the victor. She could try that again.

"I'll end her life simply because she has nearly taken my own," Sith told him, "As for you all, I am not sure if I care to know who you want to be the victor. But know this: if you kill me, then you will have everyone assembled on your throat for it. Do not think they will take kindly to any additional punishments you put upon me." Ryou thought those were bald statements, considering that Xemnas was no ally, and that the other Nobodies weren't likely to be, either. But Mello and Aeon would definitely go after the Espers if they took Sith, and Ryou knew he'd join them for the chase. Poltzghast already seemed to know this. He nodded.

"I have no wish to see your life destroyed," the god told her truthfully, "I can only enforce the laws we have set. Rest assured that if you rid us of the curse your family has wrought, you may resume your place in the hall." With that, Poltzghast disappeared as silently as he came in. Sith watched quietly, contemplating what was said to her. Rid them of Rath, and she could finally return to her world. But could she kill her own cousin?

Everyone waited patiently as Sith stood there, unable to decide what to do. As much as she wanted to kill Rath, she knew now that this was a battle neither of them truly started. It was thrust upon them as soon as they were born; Rath merely kindled the flames until it turned into a raging inferno that could not be quelled. Now it was her job to do damage control. So be it. She could do that, and had been for the past three thousand years. Albeit trying to avoid the other Espers, but that was a separate issue.

Finally, Ryou couldn't take the suspense. He knew the decisions would take time, but they still had to find Falnika, and Dihanna hadn't yet appeared, either. He glanced at Mello, but the blonde did not respond. He was focused on Sith, deciding whether to comfort her or let her be. Aeon was similarly affected. Ryou took a breath. It was either ask right then, or never know the truth. He opted the former.

"What does he mean, 'you'll return to the hall?" he asked Sith, and she looked up for a moment, "Sith, what happened? Are you going to leave when this is done?" Sith looked away, and Ryou noticed that she hesitated with her answer. He didn't want to hear it, but he understood it was her choice, not his.

"He is referring to the Hall of Heroes in Nesce. That is where all legends go when they pass the mortal plane," she told him quietly, and looked back at him, "Rath is the one who unleashed the five forbidden spells, three thousand years ago. In order to stop her, I had to use them as well. They cancel each other out, and are the only ones who can."

"But that's not your fault!" Ryou exclaimed, "Rath is the one who… who…"

"Rath does not dictate what I chose to do," Sith cut him off calmly, and he stopped, "I have killed my own people, Ryou. That is unforgivable, no matter the ends. I've accepted that, even if I chose to run from them as well. Because of that, I am forbidden to go to the hall, should I die. But if I kill Rath…" Ryou understood now. He nodded.

"You kill Rath, you redeem yourself," he said bitterly. Sith nodded, but something told him it wasn't really that simple. If it were, Rath would have been dead. There was something more to it, something Sith was hiding. Was it because Rath was her cousin? Ryou couldn't be sure, though he knew he couldn't kill his own family if he had to.

"So, you going to kill Rath or what?" Axel asked her, and Ryou glared. At that moment, it wasn't a smart idea to ask Sith such a stupid question. The answer was obvious, anyway. She nodded, tapping her sword on the floor. Zealacht made a nice dent where its tip hit.

"Of course," Sith replied seriously, and looked at Xemnas. He seemed bored with the conversation at large, but smiled when he saw he had her attention. She said, "Thank you for your assistance. Let me handle it from here." Xemnas's smile faded. That was _not_ what he wanted to hear from her. Ryou almost laughed. For a person with no emotion, it was easy to annoy him.

"There is still the matter of the void left behind by Falnika," he reminded her. She seemed to wave that away, however. Ryou wondered if that matter held any significance to her at all, considering her other problems.

"Yes, I know," she replied grimly, "I see no point in sealing it right now. Rath will undoubtedly release it when the time comes. If you want it so badly, then I'll allow you to watch it and make sure that nothing else comes to take it, so long as you don't try and kill me with your new power later." Ryou's eyes popped. She was actually willing to trust Nobodies with the power they wanted. Either she was really angry with the other Espers, or she truly did not care. It was hard to decide which was the truth.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Axel told her, as Xemnas nodded and said, "Consider yourself protected from the Heartless, Sith." Sith smiled, and Ryou just watched as she and the older Nobody shook hands on the deal. It was interesting to see; by the sound of it, most people shunned or ignored the Nobodies. Sith obviously felt they had higher value than that, at least in terms of forging an alliance. Xemnas accepted it appreciatively.

A chuckle from behind them all, however, disrupted the moment.

"And so you continue to grow your army by the second, lady Sith," came a gentle voice, and Sith turned sharply, sword drawn and ready, "It is nice to see you've returned after so long."

"Who are you?" Sith demanded, disregarding the compliment entirely. A figure emerged from the darkness: a young woman clad in nothing more than a blue wrap that covered her chest, to just around her thighs, with white wings and a halo atop her head. She stood on a skull with two horns protruding from it, and brown hair cascaded down her face and shoulders. She looked radiant in the dark, and Ryou felt a warmth just by being near her. As she looked at Sith, her expression held nothing but sympathy. But her answer, despite it being expected from Sith, still managed to shock them all.

"Dihanna, the Goddess of magic," came the reply. Ryou knew right then that there was a reason such a beauty had come. And so did Sith.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With Druegh dead, and Poltzghast fleeing back to his realm to watch the battle between Sith and Rath, only Dihanna remains to see the Esper through it. But will she be forced to fight Sith, or will she lend Sith mercy, as Poltzghast had? What else does she know about Sith, that Sith has yet to remember? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	28. Death to the Gods

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Death Note, or Kingdom Hearts. I also have an addiction problem to crossovers. Takahashi, Ohba, Square-Enix, and Konami have all tried to help with, no with avail.

"The _goddess!?_" Ryou, and several of the Nobodies, gasped at once. The woman, Dihanna, just smiled as she looked down at them all. Then her gaze turned to Sith. The Esper was not surprised, nor was she amused to see that the goddess had come down to meet with her. But this wasn't about amusing Sith. This was about making sure everyone here understood what was to happen, once they crossed the chambers and faced Falnika in the room beyond. Dihanna, despite the confidence she had in Sith, could not be so sure the younger woman was up to such a thing. Sith herself barely survived the realization that she had been the cause of this devastating, cruel army of darkness. What chance did the others, the _mortals_, have?

"Yes, it is I," she replied calmly, descending from the open arch she'd flown through, "I must say, Sith, I am glad to see you alive. I wish I could have said the same for Druegh.

"However, such a joyous occasion must be cut short," the goddess continued sadly, and frowned, "Falnika has not stopped her inhumane conquest, and I fear even Rath holds no control over her. Sith, you must do something before she finally taps into the trinity of our power! If ever all three of us are destroyed…" Sith nodded grimly, her eyes narrowed as she listened to Dihanna's plea. She was not surprised that Falnika had overstepped a boundary.

"Then the balance of power will topple entirely," the younger Esper growled, "And the devastation will rival that of what I've caused." Dihanna froze, looking down at the woman critically. She hadn't expected that kind of comparison; if the trinity was destroyed, Oblivion would collapse. No one, not even Sith, would survive it. She should've cared a bit more. But Sith was bitter towards her own kind, and with good reason. Dihanna shook her head.

"You are bitter," the goddess said simply, but it did nothing to change Sith's cold expression, "But only to us. This saddens me. You have readily allied yourself with humans and Nobodies. And a time-keeper…"

"Do you _blame_ her?" Matt cut in, and Sith glared at him. As a _human_, he should have understood that his insult would get him killed. But Matt was sometimes an idiot, and things like courtesy never entered his mind. He continued with, "You all kicked her out of her kingdom, banished her from her own world, and now you've sent her reeling, lord knows how many times! You're lucky you aren't dead yet!" This time, Sith hit him and Matt went flying. Frustrated, she turned back to the goddess, who seemed rather amused with Matt's outbursts. At least he wouldn't be killed yet.

"We've done so for a reason," Dihanna simply said, but knew that none of them would listen to it, so she continued with, "But we offer you a chance to return." Sith remembered Poltzghast's similar offer, and nearly scoffed. She smirked, crossing her arms.

"Kill Rath and I'll make up for my past mistake," she rephrased, and Ryou saw Dihanna visibly wince at the bitterness in the younger one's voice, "How do you know I am not as bad? As far as you all are concerned, I'm already to blame for this mess." Even Xemnas was shocked at Sith's reaction. He looked down at her with worry, fearing she was becoming too reckless with how she was treating the gods. Then again, this was Sith, and she had done stupider shit before.

"We do not blame you entirely," Dihanna stated seriously, firmly, "But you must understand that you were the one left standing. What were we to think, as we saw you standing amidst the destruction of Nesce? How could we know Rath had lived? We had to let your people rest somehow!"

"You are nothing more than cowards who wanted to have me exiled!" Sith finally screamed, and everything fell silent at her words, "You did not even try to find the truth! Why should I even bother to help you? Is there anything left to my kingdom!?" Dihanna was clearly mortified with Sith's accusations, and she stood there, frozen in midair as she stared down at Sith. And when an answer wasn't given, Sith spat and said, "No, there isn't. It is nothing more than a rotting pile of garbage, a world with a broken heart." Ryou was sure Dihanna would smite Sith for such harsh words, but he understood Sith's anger. They had three thousand years to grant her this sort of freedom. Why on earth did they wait so long?

"A broken heart like yours," Dihanna said softly, and looked at Xemnas, "Which is why you pity the Nobodies. Because they have no heart, and you're so close to losing your own." Xemnas said nothing, but it was clear by his expression that the goddess sensed his true purpose for allying with Sith. To turn her into a heartless. Sith glanced at him, and it was clear she knew this, too. Her lips thinned.

"My heart died when I had to leave Mello like that," she said darkly, and looked down, "You have no idea how angry I was. I finally thought I found a safe place. Kira was annoying, but Mello knew how to stop him. _You_ were the problem." Ryou looked over at Mello. His skin had paled, and he looked away as Sith spoke. Ryou blinked; Mello was always supportive of Sith, in his own, possessive way. Something was up.

"We are not the ones who chose to run from our responsibility," Dihanna reminded her sternly, and Ryou saw Sith's eyes glower, "We have been lenient. We could have killed you. Now, I see there is no reasoning with you." Sith growled furiously, and behind her, Saix's eyes began to glow yellow – he was ready to turn berserk! But Sith held him back.

"Do you think I enjoyed running away!? Do you think I _wanted_ to!?" Sith yelled, and this time, Saix had to hold _her_ back before she actually struck, "You think I _wanted_ to be screwed over!? Does _anyone_ enjoy being screwed like that?" Ryou had to admit, Sith held a lot of valid points. But not one of them stuck; in the Espers' minds, Sith did this to herself. Dihanna was no exception to that thought.

"You acted rashly," the goddess said to her. Sith completely lost it after that. She tore away from Saix's grip, snarling as she lunged. Saix and Zexion rushed to try to retain her, but one swipe of her tail sent them tumbling like a pack of puppies.

"_STERBEN SIE!!_" Sith screamed, and Ryou watched her fly across the chamber, each second closing the gap between herself and the goddess before her. Dihanna raised her hands; green energy was being generated between them. Ryou felt the amazing power from the goddess, and knew Sith would not survive the blast.

"Sith, come back!" he cried, as Matt ran over and said, "Shit, she's going too fast!"

"Sterben Sie, Dame Winchester," Dihanna muttered, and before Sith even registered the words, the goddess unleashed her full might. A bolt of green energy shot out from her hands, and hit Sith dead on. Paralyzed, burned, and squarely pummeled, Sith froze for a second, an agonizingly long second, before she dropped right out of the air. She crashed onto the floor, her wings singed off and her tail twitching. Her eyes were wide open, glassy, terrified. Any tears she shed were evaporated. Ryou was about to run, but then he saw Mello was already halfway there.

He had never imagined Mello would be someone who could cry. Mello had always been so confident, so arrogant, and so overly insensitive. But now, he was none of that. As he ran to Sith's broken body, Ryou saw that tears had spilled like a waterfall, his good eye as glassy as Sith's, his skin as pale as a ghost as he dashed along the length of the chamber. It felt as if time had slowed, purposely to ensure he could not reach Sith before she died. He stumbled, but he barely stopped. He turned the fall into a roll, and came up directly by her side. And when he saw her, he fell right to his knees.

Sith was nothing more than a broken shell. Her hair, bound by a bandana that had snapped, flew wildly around her now-white face, half-covered in blood. Her clothing was stained similarly – gashes adorned her half-bare arms, and her coat was burned. Nothing even remained of her wings; even down to the stubs on her back, they had been blown clean off. And her expression… she was frozen with horror. It was a painful look, one that Ryou could not bear to see. One that Mello had seen two times too many. He grabbed her arms. Her body was already growing cold.

"_SITH!_" he screamed, his voice so broken, it was barely his, "Sith! Speak to me! Please!" He picked her up in his arms, trying desperately to tell himself she was _not_ growing colder with every second. But he knew it was too late. Her life had ended so quickly, so unfairly. He felt Xemnas behind him, and the Nobody laid a hand on his shoulder.

"She is dead, friend," he said, and Mello snarled at him. It was a feral, painful sound.

"She deserved to die if she dared to strike me," Dihanna said to them both sadly, and looked down at Sith's body, "Not even a queen can command us." Mello's eyes narrowed. Sith was _Sith_. No one could take her from him. Kira certainly hadn't, try as he did.

"You… had… _no right_… to _KILL HER!_" Mello screamed, and gave Sith's body to Xemnas as he took out a gun, "_I WANT MY SITH BACK!_"

"Mello…" That one word made Mello stop and look back. Sith wasn't dead! But she was damned close, and she looked at nothing as she spoke, "Mello… Mello… where… are… you… so… dark… Mello…" Mello froze for a long minute, trying to sort out what he should have done. Dihanna deserved to die. Dihanna broke Sith in half; on the other hand, Sith needed him right then. If he slain the goddess, he would lose Sith. And if he helped Sith, the goddess would escape.

Except that the goddess would not escape. Dihanna had acted too rashly, and her power alerted Falnika the moment it was unleashed. Mello had come to a decision; Sith had Ryou and Xemnas to protect her for the while. _He_ had to take down the goddess. But right as he had come to that conclusion, he heard screaming. It was an ungodly howl, a wailing that rivaled the banshees that haunted the boundaries of hell. And when he turned, he saw that it was Dihanna. Slowly, her skin was being peeled away, revealing sinew and bone, her dress melting as quickly as her skin. Soon, her body was turned into a bloody mass of writhing tissue and muscle. And then, it vanished entirely in a flash of darkness. She was gone. And he didn't even have to waste a bullet.

"W-what the hell!?" he heard Kaiba ask, and looked back to see that everyone, both within the sphere, and around him, was staring at where the goddess had once been. Not even her shadow remained, nor a scrap of flesh. Nothing had been kept.

"She's gone?" Larxene asked, as Zexion said, "How? What form of evil was that?" Mello blinked as he looked on, trying to sort those last few seconds out. He remembered wanting to shoot the Esper for killing Sith, or nearly killing her, but he hadn't fired. No one had; Ryou and Matt were too far, and Xemnas was too concerned with Sith to strike. What _did_ kill her?

"Just make sure Sith is okay," the blonde finally said, and turned to Ryou, "Get her out of here. I'm going to figure out what the hell happened." Unfortunately, Ryou already had his own guess. If it wasn't Sith, then there were only a few choices that could wield such raw, terrifying power. Rath, or Falnika. He knew which one had done this, too.

"Mello, wait," Ryou said slowly, and for a reason Mello didn't understand, he heeded the younger man, "Don't bother. You won't find anything that'd answer the question."

"Do you know something?" Mello asked him, turning and looked at him with an arched brow. Ryou didn't respond, and so Mello forcefully added, "If you do, spit it out or I'll shoot you, too." Ryou looked up at him, and there was such a seriousness that Mello knew killing him off would be foolish. He lowered his gun, and glanced at Sith. She was alive, but she wouldn't make it. Not in this world. Not for long at all. Ryou had to make this quick.

"It was Rath," Ryou told him, and Mello's eyes widened, "That was too evil, too incomprehensible to be Falnika. Rath… Rath must have known Sith was dying." But why she was bothered by that, Ryou couldn't say. As far as he knew, Rath hated Sith. He couldn't see the point in helping her now. Like Mello, he also glanced toward Sith. Even with Rath's help, she was losing her strength. The goddess's attack had done so much more than hurt her; it was as if her age was catching again. Her eyes looked so much older than her body, an exhaustion that broke both Ryou and Mello's hearts.

Sith turned slowly, staring at both of them. Already, her vision was blurring. She had only a few moments to tell them what they needed to know, and then to try and escape back to recover. At the very least, she had to warn them. She had learned so much, too much, and now it was all crashing in around her. In one blow, her past sent her spiraling toward Death himself, and now she had to arm the two men she came to love the most: Ryou, her dearest friend and companion during this entire conquest, and Mello, the man who promised to protect her no matter how grisly his own fate was. She owed it to them both. But, god be damned, it hurt to even think.

"Ryou… listen to me," she coughed, "These swords… they can kill Rath, but only if they have a wielder. My time is coming, or it seems to, and I cannot wield Zealacht. Please… take my sword and kill Falnika.

"There is something I did not tell you. Dihanna and Poltzghast do not lie. What they've said of me, all of it is true," the older woman continued, "I am no hero, Ryou, but I know my fate is to kill my cousin, or be killed by her. Neither has happened, but I can't face her, not like this. I… I have to…" Ryou saw she was straining to finish, and not just because of the throbbing migraine she had. What she was going to say was 'I have to run away.' And for Sith, that was as bad as admitting defeat. But he understood the severity of her wounds, and knew what she said of her sword was the truth. She _could not_ possibly wield it with her injuries. But he had a sword already, and Mello couldn't use swords. Who was to be her heir?

"Sith, who can do it!?" he asked her quickly, knowing how little time he had, "Who can wield Zealacht in your stead?" Sith coughed, and coughed, so much that Ryou feared she was truly choking. But she came through, and with a shaking hand, pointed at Saix. Ryou turned. Saix had carried Zerrkandr for some time, so perhaps he could wield Zealacht. It made sense, almost. He was powerful enough.

"Sith, are you sure?" Ryou whispered. Sith nodded – she was too weak to speak now. Her tail was drooping now, and he could feel her energy drain with every second. Ryou looked up at Xemnas. The Nobody was just as concerned. Ryou bit his lip. He needed Xemnas's strength right then. But who else would be able to transport Sith so quickly?

"Xemnas," Ryou began slowly, and sniffed, "Please, take Sith and bring her to my world. She'll be safe there." Xemnas looked down, and then looked away. He knew she was important, but they had a deal. If he left, Falnika's power would be sealed, and he would get none of it.

"I will do it," Aeon said, and Ryou turned suddenly, almost forgetting he had been there. Aeon had glanced down at his clock-blade, but now he was looking squarely at Ryou, his eyes blazing golden. He nodded, "I can, and I can be back quickly. But we must act. Sith is dying."

"Then get moving!" Kaiba snapped over the sphere, "Hell, bring her here if you want. I don't have a medic, but I can double as one. It's better than the shit Raptor might give her, anyway, and right now, _he's_ been appointed as lead cop, lead fireman, _and_ lead doctor." Ryou blinked, trying to process that. He heard the words, but in the heat of the moment, Kaiba's sarcasm fell flat. The only thing that rang true was that Kaiba offered to help her. That was all Ryou needed.

"I'm not sure what's happened in my world, but take Kaiba's advice," he told Aeon firmly, "They can take care of her from there. Meanwhile, we'll go ahead and try to kill Falnika." Aeon stared, barely conscious of the fact that Xemnas slipped Sith into his arms. He highly doubted their rag-tag team could actually stop Falnika, but Sith knew what she was doing. She had placed Saix as her heir for a reason. He had to trust that. He nodded.

"I'll see you all soon," the time-keeper said, and making sure the Esper was securely in his arms, Aeon faded. Then, he was gone. And he left Ryou wondering just what they should try to do next.

For a while, everyone stood in silence as they considered their options. Now, all three gods of the Espers were killed, and Falnika was not too far away. From what Sith had said, killing all three would unleash a terrible power, and if they were to win, Ryou knew they'd have to be very precise and very cautious. Even though Sith left her sword for them, it was enchanted only with its wielder. In Sith's hands, it was a terribly powerful blade. But in Saix's, Ryou was not sure it could be relied upon.

Knowing strength alone was not on their side, Ryou called for Zexion and Mello. Defeating Falnika might only be the simple part; it'd be escaping this world alive that'd be difficult. Especially if they were expecting some superpower to come from nowhere and wipe everything out. And while Mello's knowledge bordered on killing Mystics, or just anyone in general, Zexion seemed more versed in Esper lore. He could be able to tell if Sith's warning was true, and if they could counter it.

All three of them sat in one corner, a box pulled over to serve as a table. Zexion had brought out all of his books, and was reading through them quickly, scanning for anything that could help them. Personally, he did not care if the humans lived, but he had delved into Sith's history, into her world, and into everything she had come from. He could not let such a catalyst like her die. And if that meant saving humans, then so be it. Finally, though, he snarled and slapped one of his books away. He couldn't find anything on the warnings Sith had given them.

"Damned be it, just when I need this information!" he yelled in frustration, and sighed, "I cannot begin to guess what we should be expecting." Ryou's lips thinned. He was betting his life on Zexion's knowledge right then.

"That's all right. I'm not surprised," the white-haired boy replied, and Zexion stared, "A lot of things go wrong when the Mystics are close. I'm not sure what it is, but this happened when we faced the last one. The only reason we knew what to do was because we found an old diary explaining it." Zexion snorted, and went back to his books. That was a nice thing to wish for, but he knew a diary would do little right then. They needed _knowledge_, and if he couldn't remember it, he knew they were as good as dead.

"Go wrong?" he repeated as he read quickly, "How so?"

"Sith's magic was cut off a few times," Ryou told him, and did not see that both Zexion and Xemnas were listening, "I'm not sure, but it's like they can warp reality a bit. It's happened to Sith a lot, and it happened to Aeon once."

"So they're utilizing an illusion of sorts," Zexion said quietly, and Ryou stopped. He hadn't thought of it that way, but put in perspective… that was what happened. At least, Amber had used something to that extent. It had warped in on itself, but it was a good attempt. The only downside was that time had been reversed, but that was something Sith let slide. Mainly because that sealed off her power, anyway. He looked up, and saw Zexion was grinning.

"…what?" Ryou asked suspiciously, not liking that grin. He'd seen it too many times in that day to trust it.

"I am a master of illusions," Zexion told him darkly, and narrowed his eyes, "If they're weaving our minds so we forget certain things, perhaps I can try to sort it out." Ryou shook his head. That would take too long, and they needed to get moving. Illusions or not, they'd faced Mystics before. What they needed was a plan, not a way to make a plan.

"We have to work with what we have _right now_," Ryou reminded him, and Zexion frowned, "I know. It's next to nothing. But you said you've studied the Espers. What do you know? Is there anything about them we can use? What about Sith? Anything on her?" Zexion blinked for a long moment, trying to go through anything that might be what Ryou was looking for. Sith was a good place to start; if she was the reason the Mystics were even alive, then something she did would clue them in. But as far as Zexion knew, what had happened was an aftereffect. Sith had no direct involvement with it.

"I know that Espers rely almost solely on their magic for their livelihood," he finally said, "Their magic is their strongest part. Without it, they're actually frail. If the Mystics are anything like them, I'd imagine it'd be the same." Ryou considered that. Falnika had grown fond of the Light of Judgment, and he knew it was only because of that light that this world had been destroyed. Without it…

"So you're saying if we seal _their_ magic, they grow weak," Ryou concluded, and hummed, "Can we do that? More specifically, can _you?_" Zexion realized Ryou was speaking solely to him. He blinked.

"Me?" he repeated, and Ryou nodded.

"You say you're a master of illusion. What if you cast one to make it impossible for Falnika to use magic?" Ryou asked him. Zexion thought about it. He had never done that before, but there was no reason it should have failed. It wasn't exactly an illusion; physical illusions changed a person's appearance. What this entailed was going into a person's mind and repositioning certain waves and energy transfers. Zexion smiled. That much, he could try to do.

"If she is less intelligent than I am, then I can probably achieve it," he said after a minute, "Yes… it could work. Give me ten minutes; it takes time to delve into another's mind and sort their neural passages out. But if I can, you'll know by the significant drop in energy." Ryou smiled, knowing Zexion understood what his power was. The two nodded, and Ryou turned toward Mello. He intended to take Mello, Saix, and Xemnas up toward Falnika. The other Organization members and Matt would keep the stairs clear of anything that came to oppose them. It wasn't exactly a good plan, but Xemnas had more or less agreed when Ryou first proposed it. And by 'agreed,' he basically said that as long as he got his end of the deal, he would do anything. Ryou didn't like that thought, but at least he had a loyal ally for the time being.

Neither Saix nor Mello held any opposition, either. Ryou let Zealacht go with a knowledge that, while Saix was clinically insane and prone to going berserk, he was more or less loyal to Sith and would help if Xemnas did so. And with Mello wielding an enchanted gun, Ryou knew now all of them had at least something to fight with. He said a quick farewell to Matt, and then he took his team up the single archway, up a flight of half-crumbled stairs. Darkness obscured it, but Ryou knew where it'd lead regardless. Either he was taking them to the very end of the tower, or he was taking them to an early grave. Neither one seemed better than the other, to be honest.

---

Falnika was not happy with what just happened. As she stood at the top of the tallest point of the tower, she realized that she was unhappy. Below, the waves of the ocean crashed against the docks, a slow, sad beat that reflected the sudden emotion clear in the Mystic's black heart. It was something she didn't quite understand; she was close to killing Sith herself, and in fact, had wanted to dearly. But with Sith dead… it wasn't the rapture she thought it'd be. It was almost as if she lost part of herself.

She continued looking down into the swirling, foaming sea, trying to shift through what was plaguing her heart – a part she had long since thought was dead. Was it simply because Sith had become her greatest adversary, the sole reason she continued to exist? To annihilate the old legend and place Rath on the throne? Falnika wasn't quite sure. She had never truly liked Sith; she felt the woman was often too confident and too grave to be a queen. But now that it was over, Falnika began to see that perhaps Sith had a purpose after all. Sith had a life, and with one move, Dihanna had blown it away. And that life had so little to do with them. She wasn't a threat to them.

"I have told you how foolish it is to battle her," came a voice, and Falnika turned to see Rath behind her. Rath, taller then Falnika by half a foot, with gray skin and white hair, clad in a gray cloak, looked down at her sadly, almost regretfully. Then, she joined her commander and looked over the sea as well, "And now, because of your actions, she is dead."

"I don't understand it," Falnika whispered, "I hated her. I wanted her dead, like you have. Why do I feel this way?" Rath hummed as they watched the waves in silence for a moment. That was a good question, one she didn't know the answer to. For her, it was because Sith was family. Even if Sith didn't know it, Rath did. Even with their rivalry, Rath did not entirely hate Sith.

"Part of it is because you realized that Sith wouldn't have come after us. Not until Amber, of course, failed me so majestically," Rath told her, and said the last part with bitterness, "It was a mistake to place her in her mother's seat." Falnika could honestly say she agreed. She wasn't fond of Katsaiga, either, but the woman had been true to her beliefs. She had helped Sith come a long way. Amber just fooled around until it got her killed, and they were still feeling the effects of that horrible incident.

"So what you're saying is that I feel bad because I know this wasn't what Sith wanted to do," Falnika said mockingly, knowing she was skating thin ice by her flat tone, and looked up at Rath, "That I feel bad because I've seen the error of our evil ways?"

"We are evil, but our ways are simply our own. As to your feelings, I think you understand now that Sith was not the immortal monster you wanted her to be," Rath replied with such sincerity, that it shocked the younger Mystic, "In the end, she died because she loved humans. Mello, Aeon, Ryou, even Xemnas and the Nobodies. She preferred them over any of us.

"Now, then," Rath continued, and now she looked at Falnika squarely, slyly, "The other part is because of what _you've_ done to cope with this loss. You've absorbed Dihanna, haven't you?" Falnika's good eye widened. Such a question wasn't expected, and the move had been done so quickly, that she had been sure no one had noticed it. Then again, Rath was her leader. Rath was more powerful than all of the Mystics _combined_.

"You… you _knew!?_" Falnika hissed, and Rath nodded, turning back toward the sea. She hadn't come there to scold the Mystic. She had come only to warn her that her foes had grown restless and furious with Sith's departure.

"You would do well to be very careful with your new power, Falnika," the older Mystic said seriously, "You have great power, and a greater responsibility for it, too. Now _you_ must keep the trinity from being destroyed." Falnika blinked for a long moment. It was clear she hadn't realized that flaw, for her skin paled and she began to shake. That meant she alone would be forced to return to that pocket of space, where the three gods used to sleep, when this was done. And while she could do that, she understood that her own seat within the Mystic council was in jeopardy. She shook her head.

"I have no choice?" she asked, almost pitifully. Rath actually felt some level of sorrow for her. Falnika had been close to her for three thousand years, and even beyond that. Now, one rash act of hatred was going to sever the two of them forever. It was sad… but it had been by Falnika's doing. If she didn't know of it, then there was still nothing to be done. Rath shook her head.

"I do not believe so, unless the absorption was insignificant," Rath told her, and turned, "Take your cloak off and let me see." Falnika blinked, and then did so. The cloak slid off, but the look on Rath's face was unmistakable; something had indeed happened.

"What!? What happened!?" Falnika demanded, knowing that look of terror. It was so rare for Rath to ever have it. Rath did not answer, save for conjuring a tall mirror in midair. And when it cleared, Falnika saw herself: a monster of what she had been, though her body had barely been changed. She was still beautiful, and her long hair still brown. But her skin was ghastly white, and in place of her green robes was a torn, blue dress stained with blood. White wings sprouted from her back, but as she had no wings beforehand, they were stained black with her own blood, at the roots. But what really terrified Rath was the other set of arms that came out of Falnika's back, along with the horns on her head. That was enough to tell her she had turned into a demon.

"You…" Rath was lost for a moment, and forced herself to become composed, "You have what you need, Falnika. All the power of the Espers are yours now." Falnika understood that the words rang hollow in both of their ears. This only signified that Falnika was doomed now.

"L-lord Rath!" Falnika cried, and then shrieked when Rath began to float upwards, into the swirling mass of dark clouds, "P-please! Wait!"

"There is nothing I can do," Rath said to her, and before the older woman was gone, Falnika heard the last few words clearly, no matter how distantly they were spoken, "I can only pray for a quick death to free you, for you have no idea what you've just done." Falnika could scarcely understand. She had absorbed Dihanna only because she wanted to end this world, to kill everyone for ending Sith's life and destroying any hope they had at being free. She had no idea she would never be able to return to her world again.

Her life, the past three thousand years of it, flashed before Falnika as she stood there, alone. There was nothing worth it anymore. Her life had been spent hating, and plotting, and wanting to kill Sith for all of this. All of the rumors and the lies, all of the ranting Rath had done, all of the bitterness she held for the other councilmen, all of it flashed through Falnika as she stood there, trying to understand why she had chosen any of it. With nothing left, she saw why she hated Sith so much. It was not because Sith had done anything; in fact, she knew Sith had probably saved all of them by splitting the Esper race apart. It was because Sith _did_ have things to live for, lots of things. Sith had her own life, and was happy to have it, even if it meant she was cast away for her mistakes. That had ceased to matter as much when Ryou entered her life. It had ceased to matter to her at all once Mello had come back. It was because of _them_ that she had continued.

Falnika had none of that. She had no family to return to, no reason to live even after she succeeded. Katsaiga was dead, and Martus was gone. Rath couldn't help her, and she was not liked with most Mystics. She had shunned any humans near her, and had terrorized anyone associated with Sith. Falnika had no life left. Perhaps it really would have been better to let Sith kill her the first time.

Gripping her own arms at the futility of it all, Falnika began to cry. Any second, her time would come, and it would not be dealt by the woman who saved her life from a terrifying end, some three thousand years before. Sith had deserved to end her. Sith had deserved to live. Falnika couldn't help but cry.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

With Sith gone, Ryou forces himself to take charge and try to stop Falnika without her. With Mello, Saix, and Xemnas, he now climbs his way to the top of the tower, where Falnika is waiting. Meanwhile, Falnika herself must decide how she will fight, or if she fights at all. What was her true motive behind the fatal attack on this world, and what was the point of destroying Domino? Was it a twisted sense of sadness over Sith's disappearance beforehand? And, will Kaiba be able to even help Sith, or will the Esper die at the hands of her own kind? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!


	29. Falnika's Redemption

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Death Note, Final Fantasy, or Kingdom Hearts. Takahashi, Ohba, and Square-Enix owns all of them respectively, and they were nice enough to join in and let me say they own everything, just to make this thing shorter. Guess what? It didn't work anyway.

Aeon knew he had no time to waste. As soon as his portal opened, and he jumped onto the dark streets of the city below, he made a dash and ran across the overpass he had landed on. Sith was securely in his arms, and at that point, was no longer conscious. The sky overhead was dark, and Aeon rushed faster, knowing that if he wasn't careful, Sith would slip. He stopped for just a second to secure her on his back, rather than in his arms. The latter was only slowing him down, and Sith had less than a day if he was lucky. If he wasn't, then she was already dead. He had to pray; he couldn't stop to check, for fear that monsters had come through and were right behind him.

As he looked back up, running again, he saw Kaiba Corp was not far from there. Despite his limited knowledge in this world, he had done a decent job. It'd take less than twenty minutes to get Sith to safety. And, from what he could see as he dashed by, that Sim-Seru that had been planted looked to be dead; though its veins remained and the ground was covered in pink-grey film, nothing throbbed and any sign of growth had been stopped. For what it was worth, if anything, that was a good thing.

When he passed the bridge and came to the courtyard before the large building, Aeon didn't bother to knock or even shout to get Kaiba's attention. He ran up the stairs, and with a power only a time-keeper had, he melted through the door and materialized inside of the lobby. Sith was still in his arms. And he suddenly stopped. He had done well to get that far, but he realized that he knew nothing about this strange building. And that he had just broken and entered without so much as a 'let me in.'

"Kaiba!" he called, his voice ringing up the stairs and all across the upper floors, "Kaiba, where are you!?"

"Who the hell are _you?_" Bakura asked, as he, Yami, Joey, and Tristan came running down the stairs. Kaiba was right behind them, but oddly enough, he wasn't nearly as surprised by the stranger's appearance. More specifically, he was concerned with Sith, who looked about as alive as his pet turtle. And his turtle had been dead for a decade.

"And what the hell happened to Winchester?" he asked, brow arched.

"She's alive," Aeon said, and began for the stairs without an introduction, "Ryou sent me. I'm to make sure she's in good hands before I return." Kaiba snarled a bit as he watched the time-keeper walk up the stairs, but he followed nonetheless. He'd been through too much horror to want to push his luck with this man.

"That's nice to know," Kaiba mumbled, as they passed the second floor, and then the third, "You know, we could've just taken the elevator." Aeon stopped so suddenly, that Kaiba actually managed to slam into his shoulder. The resounding crack sounded painful.

"Elevator?" Aeon repeated, and glanced back, "What on earth is that?" Kaiba growled again as he stood, rubbing his now-broken nose. If this idiot didn't currently have Sith with him, he'd throw the white-haired freak down the stairs. And then he'd kick him out the window for breaking his nose.

"Something that will make me kill you if you don't get inside of it," the younger man grumbled. Aeon stared for another minute, but he shrugged and took Kaiba's advice. In just a matter of seconds, he warped himself, Sith, and his welcoming group into an elevator. Kaiba silently wondered why he didn't just warp them up the stairs.

Five minutes later, Kaiba ran out of the elevator, leading Aeon toward one of the rooms on the sixteenth floor. Tea and Miho were already waiting, as was Ishtar, and they couldn't have been more relieved to see Sith. Until, of course, they saw she was nearly dead. But Aeon didn't give them time to question him. He laid Sith on the bed, and took the bandages he was offered. He quickly began wrapping her neck, and Tea helped with her abdomen and left leg. If she was lucky, nothing serious would be broken. But she had fallen a good fifteen feet before slamming into stone.

"So, what happened?" Bakura asked, watching the two carefully as they patched the Esper up, "Where are the others?" Aeon didn't even look back when he spoke.

"Most likely battling Falnika," the time-keeper replied, "When I left, Ryou was planning out their attack. I can only imagine that they're at least holding their own."

"But what about Sith?" Tea asked, looking up as she stopped working. Aeon glanced, and found that Tea had a right to be worried. Sith's injuries were severe, and even if she did live, there would be incredible damage to her. At the very least, she would not fly again, and part of her mind might be addled. At the very worst, she would be dead. In all truth, Aeon wasn't sure which was worse. He frowned.

"Sith… Sith was attacked because she defied the other Espers," he told them, and they stared, "The three Esper gods were present. Sith… in her bitterness, she foolishly attacked one." Yami could only guess what happened next, but Bakura visibly flinched. He didn't need the details to know that Sith most likely had been killed. Espers were highly unforgiving of disrespect, especially toward their own kind.

"Where does that put us?" the thief asked, and Aeon turned, "In terms of 'how well will we survive,' where are we?" Aeon wanted to laugh. Their fates rested on a child, a hit-man, a berserker, and a Nobody. None of which knew much about Mystics. They'd be lucky if the apocalypse didn't follow close behind.

"That depends. Generally, your race is far more resilient than any other I've met," Aeon said truthfully, and then added, "But if you're being specific, you might not want to think about that."

"It's that bad!?" Joey asked, and then decided he wasn't surprised. Mystics, magic, Espers, all of it ended up pretty bad before they pulled through. The only thing was that, through most of it, Sith had been there to help them. Now, she was out of commission, and Ryou would have to act without her. Joey found he shared Aeon's pessimism.

"When Dihanna, the final god of the Esper trinity, was killed, she was absorbed by Falnika. The entire responsibility of guarding the seals of magic was left to one Mystic," Aeon explained simply, though he knew that his words weren't enough of an explanation, "If Ryou fails, Falnika will wipe us out with the Light of Judgment. And if he wins, the tumult of unvented power will destroy everything in its path." Surprisingly, that was enough of an explanation. All fell silent at those words, considering what they could do to try and even the odds. There wasn't much; Ryou was literally worlds away.

"So no matter what happens, we're screwed," Kaiba finally said, and Aeon nodded, "Tell me there's something we can do."

"All you can do is take care of Sith," Aeon replied grimly, and a portal of darkness appeared behind him, "And pray that something can stop Falnika without killing her." Then, he slipped into the portal. And he was gone, leaving everyone in the room in stunned silence. Kaiba wasn't sure what was worse. Knowing that there was nothing they could do, or knowing that no matter what they tried, there was no hope. He looked down at Sith. Even he had grown used to her always being able to stop the madness. Now, it was like the world was crumbling apart, and she wasn't there.

Silently, Kaiba prayed that she'd pull through. As much as he disliked her, she had her own use and her own abilities. Even if he didn't believe in magic, he knew enough to respect what she did and who she was. He was no fool.

---

The archway had opened up into a dark corridor that wound through the interior of the upper floor, and then suddenly turned back, outwardly, and around the outermost wall of the large structure. It was a jagged mess between rock and crumbling stone; Poltzghast and Dihanna's power combined should have probably obliterated the structure, but miraculously, it still stood against such extreme damage. Ryou found it hard to keep steady balance. Every time he put his foot on a seemingly secure surface, he felt the ground give way and crumble into tiny pieces, only to slide off into the sea far below them. Behind him, he saw that Mello wasn't faring any better, and that Saix had to leap across the wall to make it through. Xemnas was far better – he could actually hover over everything.

As they climbed steadily higher, Ryou could see the moonlight illuminated the path, and turned to find the full moon very close. They had to be high up indeed. Now, the stone seemed startlingly white against the black sky. It nearly blinded Ryou, when they had turned that sharp corner, and only because of Saix's strength did he survive. The air grew colder with each step, thinner as the altitude continued to rise, and Ryou was aware that it was getting harder to breathe. But he didn't let up. Sith, as well as their world and hers, was counting on his success. She had trained him for quite some time. Now it was time to see if it paid off.

"How high is this goddamned tower!?" Ryou heard Mello yell, as they turned toward the western wall only to find many more stairs greeting them. Ryou didn't answer. They had climbed countless flights already, and while the sea continued to spread below them, it didn't seem as if they'd gone any higher up than before. Only the thinning air told them they had.

"If this world is truly anything like the game in mine, then it reaches into the heavens," Ryou told him, and looked up. He couldn't even see the top yet, though he had to hope it wasn't much higher. His lungs had a limit, and they were beginning to burn from the cold.

"Heaven, eh? Pretty ironic, since we're fighting the hellspawn," Mello commented, but Ryou didn't agree. If Falnika truly killed the gods, then she would be hiding in the celestial planes. It would've been the perfect place to strike, for not even Sith could have reached such a place.

"What troubles me most is not what we're fighting, but what happens if we succeed," Xemnas said, and the four of them stopped, staring at the Nobody quizzically, "With the three gods dead, this Mystic solely holds all of their power. If you win…"

"Then we release that power!?" Ryou asked, and Xemnas nodded grimly. Now he understood why Dihanna killed Sith. Sith had nearly upturned that incredible raw energy, and would have brought incomprehensible destruction to the entire universe. And now, because Dihanna was dead, whoever had killed her would probably be holding the last string before the tumult. It was no wonder Falnika had asked him not to become involved. She knew he wouldn't stand a chance. He was human, after all. He shook his head and said, "What are our options?"

"Not good," Mello replied gravely, and his eyes narrowed, "This makes it so we can't kill her. If we do, _we'll_ topple over the balance of power."

"But if we don't, she'll kill everyone in this world with the Light of Judgment!" Ryou cried in anguish, and looked up at Xemnas, "There has to be something!" He saw the older Nobody was hesitating, and seemed reluctant to speak at all. Xemnas looked away for a moment. Even if _he_ had no heart, telling someone to choose between himself and the universe was no easy task.

"We have to decide what's more important right now," Xemnas finally told them, "We destroy the Mystic and end the entire universe, or we let her live and buy the Espers some time. Either way, we will perish." That silenced any protest Ryou could possibly have given. He didn't want to die, but if he had to choose, he had to choose the Espers. They would find a way to counter this. And if not, then they'd at least give the universe a few years to try and hide. But… but his life!

"If we let her live, she'll terrorize everything!" Ryou said vehemently, and his brows creased, "It won't matter. With her power, she won't need to wait to unleash a living hell."

"Ryou, if we kill her, how can you be so sure we could stop the flow of magic from cascading?" Mello asked him seriously, and Ryou looked at him desperately, "We don't have Sith with us. She could have sealed the hole left behind. Without her, we can't risk it. We don't even know what we'd need to do." Ryou didn't care. Falnika wouldn't hesitate to destroy everything. With Sith gone, it only meant she could actually do it. He shook his head.

"So you're saying to let Sith's death be in vain!? _You!?_" Ryou retorted violently, and that sent Mello reeling in shock, "Who the hell have you sided with?" Mello trembled visibly. He hated the thought of tossing Sith's attempt away, but they had to think about more than just their goals. If Falnika had any involvement with Dihanna's end, then it changed the game. Besides, it wasn't like they didn't have a trump of their own. Zexion had agreed to try sealing her power himself. Ryou had clearly forgotten that.

"I'm saying to wait and see if Zexion can actually do what he said he'd do," the blonde said firmly, and the next part, he said with intensity, "I would never suggest throwing Sith's life away." Ryou knew that was true; Mello had spent years following her, and he wasn't one to ever give up. Saix just snorted as he listened to the two. Personally, he didn't trust in Zexion's ability, no matter how powerful the man was.

"You think she'd become powerless if Zexion actually succeeds," he stated, and Mello nodded, "And we leave her be to rot here?" Mello grinned. That was more or less his idea.

"She won't be a threat if she can't do anything," Mello replied coolly, and looked up the stairs, the moonlight shining brightly on them, "If she is powerless, and we don't need to kill her, then she holds the balance, we can leave, and we'll find Bahamut and tell him what happened." Ryou didn't like that plan. There was always the chance that Saix would be right, and Zexion might fail. Mello was betting too much on the Organization.

"What do you think?" Ryou asked Xemnas, who hadn't said a word since his initial suggestion. The older man tapped his chin for a moment, and then frowned. In all honesty, he was ready to head back to his world and hide there while the others dealt with this. But he wasn't a coward, and he made a deal with Sith.

"I think we'd better stop this talk and just go on before Zexion finishes," he said honestly, "If we can't prove he's done the job, then there's no point in planning it out." Ryou had to admit that that made some sense. Besides, if Sith were here, she'd already be at the top. Or she'd be dead, if she were hypothetically in the condition she was in. Ryou nodded.

"Deal," Ryou agreed.

The top of the tower came into view, and it was clear that there had been a very large blast, an intense display of power. The stairs had nearly completely crumbled at the last few steps, and it took Saix and Xemnas to safely get Ryou and Mello to the last step. But when they ran toward the center of the rooftop, they saw that nothing was waiting for them. There was no horrible beast to be slain, no Mystics of any kind. No bodies to be found, and no sign of any struggle whatsoever, save for the destruction of the stairs below. Ryou could only look. Something about that just didn't seem right.

Yet, as he stood at the center, looking over the edge and down toward the dark abyss, Ryou simply couldn't place what the feeling was. Right then, he should have been somewhat glad that there was nothing. He still could not choose between himself or the Espers, not truly. And even when he eventually would, he did not want to witness the end of the worlds. Maybe that was being selfish. But Ryou was still a child, not yet nineteen.

"What the hell are we supposed to be looking for?" Mello asked next to Ryou, squinting his good eye as he looked down into the ocean. Ryou found he couldn't quite answer. Falnika might not even be alive, if the goddess's power had been too great. Yet, if that were true, then the world would have already ended.

"This place is nearly destroyed, as if some great force has already been unleashed," Xemnas said distantly, and frowned, "Is it possible Falnika has fled to safety?"

"She wouldn't," Ryou said after a long moment, and his three allies looked at him, "Falnika has the power she wants. Sith was the reason she wanted it. Sith… she's not dead yet. Falnika wouldn't stop unless she was." Xemnas hummed, considering that. There was no other explanation for why they were alone, though. And if Falnika understood the consequences of her actions, then she really wouldn't want to face any of them.

"Then where the hell is she?" Mello growled, and Ryou felt his fury in full. The sight of Sith lying there, broken, was still fresh in Mello, still burned like a raging inferno. If Falnika was afraid, it was solely from him.

"You're in an awfully big hurry to be killed," Saix remarked, and Mello glared up at the Nobody, who had Zealacht slung over his shoulder with no effort, "I'd have thought losing Sith Winchester would have broken you down." Mello's teeth clenched, and if he were stronger, he'd have considered punching Saix's teeth out. But Saix held Sith's sword, and he had been named as her successor to the blade. Mello had to respect that.

Unfortunately, what all four had failed to see was that they weren't alone at all. Something had been there; she simply hadn't been waiting on the roof.

"It would have broken us all down, eventually," came a familiar voice, and Ryou looked up. Falnika was hovering in mid-air. At least, he thought it was her. But she looked different; her skin was white and her hair was far longer, slightly lighter than it had been. In place of her cloak was a torn, blue dress, similar to the one Katsaiga had worn years before, and on her back were two white wings. She looked angelic, but she certainly was not.

"Who the hell are you?" Mello demanded, aiming his gun. Ryou nudged him, however, and he nearly dropped it. Falnika frowned a bit, and then pretended that he hadn't asked. She looked at Ryou.

"It's an odd thing, when your revenge was served without you. The very thing you hate, when it's suddenly gone, you realize was part of your life, had _consumed_ your life," Falnika said to him, and he was aware she was speaking of Sith, "There is little doubt that Sith might die. Rest assured that our battle ends here because of that." Ryou was slightly confused by the request, but Mello was quick to respond. And his responses were best served with bullets.

"You're fucking right it ends here!" he yelled, and before anyone could stop him, he aimed and shot her. The blast was far more powerful than it should have been. Falnika staggered, and then crashed into the roof. The weight brought the center crumbling inward, and Falnika fell right into the crater. And when Ryou looked over to find her, what he found was a swirling mass of nothing. Now, he was horrified. Mello may have just ended the world.

"Mello, you _idiot!_" Ryou screamed, turning sharply to the blonde, "Why did you do that!? She was going to end it!"

"By killing us, no doubt," Mello argued, and holstered his gun, "Now, are you going to help me, or are you going to whine?" He didn't wait for an answer, though. Mello jumped right into the portal. Ryou just stood there, unable to decide whether he should applaud Mello's bravery, or shake his head at the man's foolishness.

"Shouldn't we follow him?" Saix asked, snapping Ryou out of his thoughts. Ryou looked from the swirling portal, to the two Nobodies beside him. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if they should. They could end up in the middle of gunfire, but someone had to stop Mello before he ended the universe.

"Ryou?" Xemnas asked, and Ryou knew he couldn't ignore them. He frowned and let out a sigh. He had to choose now, and he knew if he didn't stop Mello, Sith would never make it. That was why he vowed to kill Falnika: for Sith.

"Let's go," he said grimly, and turned back to the portal, "Let's go and save the universe." With that, he jumped right into the darkness. He could barely feel Saix and Xemnas right behind him.

They fell deeper and deeper into the abyss, and Ryou became aware that they were no longer in the tower, or even in the world. They were literally in nothing, a void of absolute emptiness, and the shattered remnants of what should have been Oblivion. He had seen glimpses of the vast realm, normally mirroring the modern concepts of space, but now it was literally like looking into pitch blackness. There were no stars or swirls of light. There were no fragments of history, no wisps of energy. No planets, no worlds, no portals to other time zones. There was nothing but darkness. Ryou knew that if they didn't stop Mello, that was what would become of every plane, every realm, every world.

Eventually, they landed on some sort of ground, though it looked as if they simply hung in mid-air. Ryou stepped forward, and was surprised when he didn't fall into nothingness again. He stopped, and stared. It was so vacuous, so very desolate. To think that the worlds could be swallowed by this was frightening. Ryou shivered; there was no true temperature, but his blood felt frozen as he looked around him. This was a nightmare waiting to happen. He turned and was relieved to see that Xemnas and Saix were still behind him. But that relief fell when they all heard voices even further away. It was, to no one's surprise, Mello and Falnika.

"And to think you had promised to protect her," Falnika was saying, and at that, Ryou ran in the direction the voice was coming from, "Do you not understand, Mihael Keehl, that if you kill me, you will destroy the universe, and her alongside it?"

"If she is already dead, then I have no reason to live anyway!" Mello yelled, and Ryou stopped. It sounded as if his voice were in the entirely opposite direction, "You bastards killed her! Why shouldn't I end the whole fucking universe? Maybe then, assholes like you won't terrorize us anymore!" Ryou frowned, knowing Mello was losing his mind. It no longer mattered if Zexion had succeeded or not. Sith's death was taking its toll, and Mello was forgetting their plan. He heard Falnika sigh, and as he looked up, he saw her face, looming in the darkness, looking toward the east.

"Espers are the reason you humans exist. You should not wipe us out!" Falnika said violently, and when Mello didn't answer, she continued, "Yes. I was once an Esper, long ago. Do you not know why we hate Sith Winchester so much? She is the reason Mystics exist. It was through her actions that our blood was split off from the Esper lines, and we were forced to exist in nothing but darkness." Ryou then saw Mello's face in the sky, staring toward the west, toward Falnika. It was as if someone had magnified holograms of both of them in the night sky, facing each other like bitter opponents.

"Whose fucking fault is _that!?_" Mello retorted, eyes narrowed, "Sith told me everything. She didn't have a damn choice. Don't blame her for Rath's mistake."

"All Rath wants is to rule Nesce, to rule what should have been hers," Falnika replied calmly, and Ryou's eyes widened, "Before Sith was born, Rath was named the successor to the throne. Sith's brother was far too young. If Sith hadn't been born…" Mello didn't let her finish. He shot her again, and this time, Ryou saw her wince.

"Don't you _ever_ imply that her birth was Sith's fault!" Mello screamed, and his eyes went red. Ryou felt the abyss shake with his fury, and knew they were running out of time. He turned to Xemnas.

"We have to stop him!" he said quickly, and Xemnas agreed, "This way!" They ran toward the east, where Falnika was looking, knowing Mello had to be somewhere in that direction. The problem was that the ground went in all directions, and there was no true way to know where they were going. All they had to rely on were the voices, and if Mello didn't stop, Falnika's voice would be silenced permanently. As it stood, she was in too much pain to continue.

"What's the matter? I thought you were a god now," Mello mocked, and his voice seemed closer the more eastern they traveled. Ryou picked up the pace. Falnika seemed to have become even weaker now that such responsibility had been thrust upon her. Her mind must not have handled it, after all.

"You… you stupid fool…" Falnika croaked, and Ryou was disheartened to hear that she was so exhausted, "You kill me… and the world…"

"_DIE!_" Mello screamed, and another shot went off. And in that instance, all went dark. Ryou found himself frozen, and his body felt as if he were made of lead. He tried to turn his head, to see Xemnas and Saix, but they were nowhere to be found. He wanted to be afraid, to shout and scream, but his heart didn't appear to register anything he was feeling. He simply was, at that point.

'…_Ryou Bakura…_' Ryou blinked at hearing his own name. He continued looking ahead, and then he saw Falnika before him. She was kneeling, her hand clutching the spot Mello had shot her; it was her heart. Her skin was white, and she was shaking. She looked up at him, and he heard it again, '_Ryou…_'

"Falnika!" he exclaimed, and for once, he felt pity for her. She did not look so evil now. And he remembered the sympathy she had for him, when she was toying with Sith.

'_Ryou Bakura… listen to me,_' she went on, '_I have little strength left, but enough to send us here, to speak with you._' To Ryou, it looked exactly like where they had just been.

"Where are we?" he asked her. She smiled a bit.

'_The resting place of the three gods,_' she replied, '_My resting place, as of now. Do you understand? I cannot fight you, and you cannot kill me. There is no point, any longer, to my involvement._

'_I am the one who absorbed Dihanna,_' she admitted, and now Ryou understood, '_That is the only way to end this ridiculous war. Sith may be dead, but Rath will not stop. Rath will try to claim the throne to Nesce._' Ryou didn't understand why that was bad, but he knew now that Sith had been the original heir. Sith had been a queen, at some point. But was Nesce still around? To her knowledge, it was not.

"What happens if Rath succeeds?" Ryou asked her. Falnika frowned. Now that she had been chosen to keep the magic in balance, she saw all of her former master's flaws. And she saw now why Sith had chosen what she had done. She saw why Katsaiga had betrayed them.

'_She will be able to wipe the Esper council from existence, and from then, she will let the Mystics flourish,_' Falnika told him, and he began to understand now why Nesce was that important. Whoever ruled the throne could communicate with the gods. Bahamut, Tiamat, Fenrir, all of them would be at Rath's bidding. It was no wonder they had tried to treat Sith with some level of respect.

"But… how can I stop her? I'm only human," Ryou said, and Falnika seemed saddened by that. Only human? A _human_ was what had wounded her so badly.

'_Sith's sword can do it,_' Falnika told him, '_The three swords were named specifically relating to different emotions. Zerrkandr, the Sword of Peaceful Mercy, Denschweiger, the Sword of Tempered Mercy, and then Zealacht, the Sword of Bitter Mercy._

'_You will need three powerful souls to fight Rath, for only all three swords can open the seal to the chambers of Sicht-Rander_,' Falnika continued, and Ryou found himself listening intently, '_You are one, and Sith has named Saix as another. Now you will need to find Denschweiger, and the third soul, if you have any chance to defeat Rath._'

"But… wait… if you are wounded, will we even have time?" Ryou asked, noticing that Falnika still clutched at her heart. Yet she wasn't bleeding. She smiled again. She looked almost beautiful, almost human.

'_I am wounded, but not dead,_' she replied gently, '_For now, the universe is safe. I was able to teleport us before Mello ended my life._' Ryou found he was glad for that. He had promised to kill Falnika, but against everything that had happened, that seemed to be ages ago. Now, he promised he'd help her. He nodded.

"I'll do it, then," Ryou told her, "I'll find the third sword and the third soul, and we'll stop Rath from taking the throne." Then, he remembered Sith. The throne had once been hers. And so had Zealacht. He frowned and asked, "…but… is Sith dead?"

'_I do not know_,' Falnika admitted, '_If she is not, then she will resume as Zealacht's owner. And she will help vanquish Rath forever._' Ryou pondered that. From how it sounded, Sith was slowly being phased out as the prophecy that the Espers had made her to be. That was interesting to hear. But at least there was hope. That was enough.

"That's good enough for me," Ryou said, and Falnika seemed surprised by this. She looked at him, and then shook her head. It wasn't really her place to ask, but she had used him specifically because of his involvement in Sith's life.

'_For Sith to be around only for Rath's destruction?_' she asked, and added, '_I had thought you would be marrying her._' Ryou understood she had read his thoughts, as uninteresting to her as they were. He smiled. Truth was, the marriage had been off for a while then. And perhaps, considering Mello's reaction to Sith's assault, it was better that way. Ryou couldn't handle one instance where Sith had nearly died; Mello had already faced three of them.

"No. I'm only a child," he admitted to her, and actually laughed, looking up at her, "You… all of you thought I would?"

'_I can tell you honestly that that is why we had selected Domino as the battlefield_,' she replied calmly, but there was that intensity that irked Ryou, '_We knew as soon as you two met, that your paths were crossed for a long time._' Ryou didn't doubt that. Sith was part of his family, no doubt, but not as a wife or a partner. Her role, he understood, was a sisterly one, a protective one. One he hadn't wanted to accept when this started.

"Anyone who meets Sith is crossed with her path for years to come," Ryou said, and Falnika knew it to be true. Even she, Sith's bitterest opponent, had become nothing more than an instrument in the old Esper's life. In some ways, it was annoying, but in others, now it seemed like a comfort in its own way. It had given her some level of purpose, no matter how screwed up it was.

'_What will do you when you return to your world, then?_' Falnika asked him, and he noticed she had become intrigued with _him_ now. He tapped his chin, and realized he hadn't considered that. He'd have to make sure Sith was well, but after that… he wasn't sure. He didn't even know if she'd still remain in his world. It sounded as if she had work elsewhere now. He shrugged.

"If Sith needs me, I'll follow her to the ends of the universe," he answered truthfully, and in his heart, he knew they were true, "I am one of the three souls, and she is another. There's a bond in that, one I mistook for partnership. But it doesn't negate the fact that I love her. If she still needs me, she has my support." Falnika smiled warmly, and Ryou saw clearly she wasn't truly the evil soul he had thought.

'_If only Nesce's council was alive, you would have surely been on it_,' she commented, and Ryou blushed, '_Ryou, make sure Sith is the victor. I cannot atone for any of this, but it is clear there are people, human and otherwise, worth caring about in this universe. Sith can unite them. She can unite anything. Please, make sure she wins._' Ryou couldn't possibly promise that, but he could try to help. Sith would make her own choice, and had already played this game long before he had come into her life. He was just another soldier. But she was the commander, and so long as she was, she was in control.

"I'll do what I can," Ryou said, but his voice sounded strangely detached. He realized he was fading, though he knew it was from Falnika's world, not his own. She saw him off, and he saw her wave just once before her image faded from view. Then, he was in darkness.

He didn't remain there for long. The images came and went rapidly, and before he knew it, he was in his own world. Granted, he was sprawled out on the ground, but he was there. He stood, and looked up at the buildings, the streets, everything around him, to see the damages done. It could have been worse, far worse, than it was. There was some structural damage, no doubt. Buildings had suffered broken windows and shattered doorframes, and the streets were torn from the Sim-Seru. There was debris and broken wood, scrapped metal and bent trees, but it could have been worse. The city… the world, could have been swallowed whole. Yet it remained, and _they_ remained. They had succeeded.

No, not yet, he told himself. They had won only half the battle. Rath was still around, even if the rest of her own council was not. But the next move depended entirely on if Sith was alive or not. Falnika had not truly answered on that subject, and Ryou remembered he had to visit Kaiba to see the answer. He took a deep breath, and touched Zerrkandr's hilt. The sword had come to him when he returned, and he was glad for it. The bond was in tact. All that was left was to see if Zealacht and her owner survived.

Closing his eyes, Ryou began to walk to Kaiba Corp. His world was safe again, but he wouldn't be. Not until this dirty business was done, and not until Rath was killed. Only one woman could do that, and it was time to visit her. Either her, or her undeserved grave. Ryou was prepared for either, and for once, that felt right for him.

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

Falnika has promised to no longer plague the world with the Light of Judgment, and Domino City is once again saved from the Mystics' onslaught. But half the battle is only won, and Ryou can only wonder if Sith, or anyone else, is alive and waiting. Who will wield Zealacht and help Ryou keep his promise to Falnika? What does that entail? Find out in the final chapter, so click that Review button!


	30. Aftermath: The Son of Sith

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, Castlevania, Kingdom Hearts, or Death Note. Takashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh, Square-Enix owns Kingdom Hearts, Konami owns Castlevania, and Ohba owns Death Note. This is probably the last time I'll ever need to do a disclaimer this long. Hooray.

"This is it," Ryou said breathlessly, as he stood outside of the large tower that constituted Kaiba Corp. The walk had been silent, the road desolate despite the fact that the planet survived. The sky was overcast, darker now with the passage of only a few moments, and Ryou had seen only three people about on the entire trek to the building. Two had been cops; the third had been Shimbou, one of Ryou's friends for some three years, but had not been present during the horrible Sim-Seru invasion, or the Light of Judgment. They had spoken briefly, but only for a moment. Only so that Shimbou could say hello.

And now, Ryou stood out there alone. He looked up the large tower, through the large windows, wondering what he should have expected. He had wanted his friends to come through the doors and exclaim their happiness and relief that Falnika was gone. He had wanted to clasp hands, to hug them, to talk, to banter, to do what normal people did when they overcame a trial that should have ended their lives. He had wanted to find Mello and tell him that Sith was free to go where she pleased and that he no longer wanted to tether her. But none of that had happened. There were no people around, there was no congratulations, and he wasn't even sure if Mello survived. To be honest, he began to expect that he was one of the few survivors, and that Rath had used the light before Falnika switched sides.

He pushed the door open, and a chill ran through him as he entered the deserted lobby. The lights were off; that wasn't a good welcoming, to say the least. He glanced around, wondering if perhaps one of his friends decided to just pull a prank, yet he saw nothing, nor sensed anything, either. Fear gripped him, a fear that told him he had done nothing to save his world. Yet, he couldn't believe it. They had to be somewhere!

Ryou walked to the stairwell. He doubted the elevator worked. He looked up, and heard nothing but silence. Something had to be wrong. Taking a breath, Ryou began to ascend. If this was what had happened, he now wished he had died as well. He did not want to be alone. All that he had was the silence, the dark corridors of the building, and the view of the isolated city, seeming so far removed from life since his return.

Then, he heard voices as he reached the fifth floor. They were soft, not wanting to yell or create a commotion, but someone was speaking. Brows creased in curiosity, Ryou ran up, careful not to make a sound. It could have been Tea speaking, or it could have been a stranger with a gun. He didn't want to take risks.

"And you're sure of this?" came one voice, and Ryou heard distinctly it was Tea. His eyes widened. She lived!

"Yes. Her condition is critical, but she will be perfectly fine. I've examined and run every test that Kaiba's machines can produce," Ryou recognized the next voice to be Vexen's. Which meant that both Yugi and Malik had returned as well. And to his relief, Sith was doing about as well as he could have hoped. He ran the rest of the way up, and stopped in the hallway. Both Tea and Vexen turned to him, both surprised, and then relieved that he was there.

"Ryou!" Tea exclaimed, and ran over to hug him, "Thank god you're alive! We weren't sure what to expect once that… _thing_ stopped devouring the city, and then this weird man brought Sith to us, covered in her own blood!"

"How is she?" Ryou asked. It wasn't that he didn't care about Tea's personal worry, but what he had to do next directly depended on if Sith was alive, or about to die. Tea blinked as she let go, and then realized the severity of her answer. She swallowed and beckoned him to one of the rooms.

Sith was on the bed, bandaged up and with an IV strapped, but she was alive. There were monitors displaying her health levels, but Ryou ignored them and looked down at her skin. She was still quite pale, but she was no longer white, no longer gasping for the air she couldn't breathe. There was no blood across her face, nor was it matting her hair. For all intense and purpose, she was all right. He was barely aware of Tea moving next to him.

"Dr. Vexen says that she'll need time to recover, but she was up for about ten minutes," Tea explained softly, and Ryou could only nod, "She mumbled something in a language we couldn't understand, though." She was speaking Esper, Ryou guessed. He pushed her bangs from her face, and smiled weakly. He was glad the Nobodies had come; Vexen did a great job of keeping her alive, and Aeon did what he could to get her here.

"And Yugi and Malik?" he asked, turning to Tea. She was smiling, too. She seemed as relieved as he was.

"In the meeting room Kaiba set up for us," she said with a chuckle, "Probably gorging themselves on the chicken wings Joey cooked up." Ryou smirked, shaking his head. Leave it to his friends to goof off while he went out and saved the world.

"At least you all lived, and I can rest knowing that," he said gently. Tea nodded, and put a hand on his back. He understood that the last she remembered, he was engaged, and she was no doubt eager to hear the final verdict. Sith must not have been in herself enough to tell them what had transpired.

"Until the wedding, right?" she added, and Ryou shook his head.

"There is no wedding, not between us," Ryou told her honestly, and she found herself shocked. But he smiled genuinely as he continued, "It's all right. I accepted it a while ago. Sith is Sith, and she shouldn't be made to stay where she isn't entirely happy."

"She's unhappy?" Tea repeated.

"No, she's glad to have me in her life. But I'm more of a brother to her," Ryou explained, and looked down, "She left her heart with Mello. That was why she kept seeing him, no matter where she was or what happened between us. She couldn't move on, and I shouldn't have tried to make her. I'm only a child, after all." He bit his lip. That sounded a bit too harsh. But he heard chuckling, and glanced at Tea. It wasn't from her.

"A child, eh? A _child_ helped me when I could not have saved this world myself," Ryou looked down and saw Sith staring up at him. Her eyes were groggy, but he saw that spark in her that he'd grown accustomed to. She continued, "As to making me do anything, rest assured that what happened between us was not by you." She sounded almost amused, and Ryou couldn't help but want to know what she meant.

"It… it wasn't?" he asked her, and she shook her head, though it was slow and done with effort. Her head must've been hurting a bit.

"No, Ryou, it wasn't," she replied, and frowned, "Katt was the culprit. She does not like that I still love him, and suggested I try to move on." Ryou's look became more skeptical, and when he urged her for more of an explanation, she shrugged and said, "Katt is my sister, and is simply worried. I tried to allay her fear, and failed miserably."

"Gee, thanks a lot, Sith," Ryou grumbled, feeling just a little bit insulted that he was considered a 'failure.' But Sith's clueless expression brought the sting out of it. She wasn't referring to him, and he understood she meant her own choice had failed. And when she saw his anger, she could only laugh.

"Glad to see you, too, Ryou," she said back, and Ryou found he had to laugh, too. Sith was, of course, being herself. He was glad to see she hadn't been too hurt from the blow, but was curious as to how she was recovering so well. He chalked it up to Vexen being good at his job, whatever that happened to be.

"So, what happens from here?" he asked, noticing that no one else, save for the three of them, were around. Sith hummed, arching a brow as she tried to figure Ryou's question. Then, she understood what he meant. She shrugged again, and looked out the window, at the overcast sky beyond.

"The others are probably eating, and I imagine Aeon's with them," she told him, and eyed him, "Speaking of food, that might do you some good. How're you feeling, now that you're back?"

"What do you mean?" Tea asked her, before Ryou could. Sith blinked a bit, and then her lips thinned. She felt that answer should have been obvious, and then she remembered that only she, Aeon, and Vexen understood what it meant to travel between other worlds.

"We ate nothing at all during our stay in the Empire," she began reasonably, "Because our gateway was a game, our bodies adapted and allowed us to go on without food or sleep. But now that you're back, your body may try to catch up to the current flow of time, and you may find yourself wanting rest. Are you weakened? Hungry?" Ryou could honestly say he wasn't, and this surprised Sith a bit. She certainly was, and it was all she could do not to devour the pillow she rested on. The only reason she wasn't eating was because she was too weak to move right then.

"I suppose you're lucky, then," she said casually. Ryou could only snort. Lucky was an understatement. He was a miracle, with what he had gone through and his ability to survive. Then again, Sith had the same survival rate, albeit with much more punishment dealt to her. He said that much, and her response was, "I'm an Esper, Ryou."

"And a damn powerful one, judging by Dihanna's willingness to kill you," Kaiba said suddenly, and Ryou turned to see him slinking into the room. For once, his usual scowl was gone, and he looked relieved to find Sith alive, and to see Ryou was back, "I spoke with that time-keeping idiot of yours, and he pretty much confirmed whatever crap you started spouting when you were half-awake."

"I was speaking in my sleep?" Sith asked, truly surprised. Kaiba nodded.

"Not only were you speaking, it was in that damned Esper tongue of yours, too," he replied, and Sith laughed, "No one but that white-haired nimrod understood it." Ryou knew he could be speaking about either Bakura or Aeon, and he guessed correctly when he assumed it was both. Sith continued laughing, knowing that for her to do that meant that any cap put on her memories by the other Espers had truly been blown apart. Mello's wish had come true, after all.

"And just what did I say?" she asked the younger man, and his nose wrinkled a bit.

"Some crap about going back to your own world and ending Rath's life," he replied easily. But for both Ryou and Sith, that was a blow. They glanced at each other. Sith was surprised to see that Ryou wasn't terrified about that idea.

"You're leaving?" he asked her, and for a moment, she wasn't sure what she should do. Rath was still alive, and from what she was told by Vexen, the madwoman aimed to reclaim Nesce and destroy whatever was left of the Espers. She had no choice, as long as she was alive. She nodded slowly, and clenched the sheets around her.

"Not forever, but it looks like I might," she replied, and Ryou sighed, "Ryou…"

"I want you to go," he said before she finished, and her eyes widened, "Sith, I want you to do what you need. I just want to help, and I know this means I'll be leaving, too."

"How so?" Sith asked him. He sat down, and when Tea and Kaiba joined them, he explained what Falnika had said: about the third weapon, her theory on bringing Rath down and sending her back to the abyss, and Nesce's part in it. Sith listened, understanding everything. She honestly wasn't surprised at all that Falnika had turned, and had entrusted Ryou with this knowledge. Zerrkandr had chosen him, after all, and that meant that he would have eventually traveled to Nesce, even if it happened to be thirty years from now. Fate decided to keep him on her side.

When it was all said and done, Sith requested everyone be brought to her room, or that she be brought to them. Considering the small size of the room, and her small size to begin with, Kaiba carried her to the conference hall, and Ryou was most shocked to find that, not only were his friends there, but that Aeon, Mello, Xemnas, Matt, and the other Nobodies were there as well. Everyone had survived, and Falnika had probably been the reason why. They all went silent when Sith was brought in, however. Everyone must've been informed on what was going to happen, or what had happened during their trip.

When Sith was seated at the head of the table, Mello and Saix were at either side of her. Ryou took his place opposite her on the other end, and everyone who had been directly involved in the battle against Falnika, the three spirits and Kaiba included, took a seat by the table. Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Miho stood at the back, but otherwise were present. Ryou was surprised, however, that neither Katt nor Rex Raptor were there. They had a role in this, too. Sith did not seemed bothered by their absence.

"And so our battle continues," she said, after moments of silence, "I trust that everyone in this room has seen, or has been informed, of the events that have passed." Everyone either nodded and gave her an affirmative word. She continued.

"As you can see, Rath has moved on, and this world is no longer a target in her plans," Sith explained, and grimly added, "She believes me to be dead, and that may be an advantage."

"What for?" Joey asked her, in an uncharacteristically serious tone. When she turned, he blushed in embarrassment and said, "I mean, if you're dead, doesn't that mean you can't go on?" Sith blinked, not quite seeing why he'd think that, but nonetheless, she smiled.

"No. It means she didn't think I'd survive Dihanna's assault," she replied, and then turned back to the others, "Imagine her reaction when I stride into Nesce's capital, sword drawn, and break down Aeroglyph's castle doors." Joey did think of it. He had never seen Rath, but he could imagine she'd be a bit scared if Sith drew Zealacht and threatened to kill her. He knew he'd be ready to piss his pants, at least.

"So you're really leaving us, then," Miho said sadly, and Sith turned to her, a look of sincere sympathy on the older woman's face.

"I would not have stayed forever," she reminded the young lady gently, and the next part, Ryou knew was aimed at himself, "If our wedding had gone on, I would have stayed for a century at the most. No longer than that."

"For my sake," he concluded, and Sith nodded, folding her hands on the table.

"And then I would have gone to Nesce," she told him quietly, and then continued the discussion as if that part had not been said, "Now, Falnika had said that all three Swords of Mercy must be obtained to successfully banish Rath back to the depths of Oblivion. I have one, and Ryou has another. That leaves the third." She cast a long glance toward everyone as she spoke, and more than a few souls had been disturbed by that news. So far, Sith had never mentioned a third sword. Could it be in their world?

"Who has it?" Yami asked her, but Sith shook her head.

"The better question would be 'where is it?" Sith corrected him, and took a breath, "My brother owned that sword three thousand years ago. Rightfully, it would still be his, if he has not died yet."

"So it's in Nesce," Kaiba concluded, putting his elbow on the table and waving his hand, "Or Katt might have it."

"Theoretically, yes," Sith agreed, but her tone suggested she did not fully believe either of those suggestions, "But Katt does _not_ have it, and if it were in my kingdom, Rath would have seized it by now." That ended anything else Kaiba had to say. Ryou glanced at Sith, trying to guess where her thoughts were going. But her face was unreadable, and no one else had any idea where the third sword could have possibly been. Even Yami and Bakura seemed at a loss for words. But Sith was older than all of them, and when no one else could offer help, she continued.

"The truth is, the only way we will know what happened to the sword is to travel back in time and see for ourselves," she admitted, and now Ryou understood why Aeon had been appointed to her specifically by the council in Nesce, "Not even I can account for my brother's well-being, and as far as I know, there is no safe way to Nesce itself.

"Therefore, Aeon will be sending me back in time to locate the sword, and my brother," Sith told them, and only the Nobodies seemed unbothered as the others offered protests and strong objections. Sith silenced them with a raised hand, "Preparations are to be made, and your roles are not done yet. Rest assured I will need your help here." That only calmed half the group down.

"What about Ryou!?" Joey asked her furiously, but the look on her face made him freeze. She was in no mood for their antics, and her eyes told them that clearly.

"Ryou is the second soul of the trinity, and he will best be kept here, where he is safe and can train himself," she told them all sternly. Ryou found he didn't mind that idea. He hadn't used Zerrkandr much at all, and any practice he could get before the fight was well worth it. But that left Sith alone, for he doubted Aeon could do much without disrupting time.

"Who will go with you?" Ryou asked her, and she was touched by his concern. Surprisingly, though, she didn't point to Mello. She instead turned to Xemnas.

"Organization XIII will help me," she said, and Ryou found himself staring face to face with Xemnas. Now he was concerned about Sith's mental health.

---

The days passed, turning into weeks as the group prepared for Sith's course of action. To Ryou's disappointment, Sith had moved out of his house and taken a room within Kaiba Corp, where he saw Aeon and the Organization lurking around quite often. It was disconcerting to see them, as he walked to and from school, yet they never spoke to him and they did not bother him at all. It was almost as if they were trying to avoid him, though he couldn't quite see why.

"So, who are those guys?" Ryou turned when he heard the voice, and saw Shimbou walking up to him, waving as he shifted his backpack onto his shoulder, "Hey, Ry, what's the haps?"

"I'm going to visit Sith and see how she is," Ryou replied, and looked toward the tower, "She's been resting for some time. I hope she's all right." He felt Shimbou's gaze upon him, and realized that he hadn't been present at all for Sith's meeting. Not that he had been present for much of anything that had happened.

"You don't know!?" Shimbou asked in exasperation, "Aren't you marrying her!?" When Ryou stared, the boy realized his error and looked away. Ryou just shook his head, and they both began to walk toward the tower.

"It's hard to explain, but Sith and I aren't a couple," Ryou told him, and then said, "Anyway, what are you doing here? Were you going to visit her?" The blush on Shimbou's face said that he had planned on it, and Ryou found himself grateful. Shimbou had been, for the most part, a loyal friend. And though Ryou had asked Sith to keep the innocent man out of their problems, when he had been concerned, he followed Sith to the last. It was evident her being an Esper didn't frighten him in the least.

"I think she deserves a good friend who hasn't been too warped with what's happened," Shimbou admitted, as they made their way to the stairs in front of the building, "From what you told me, this is only going to get worse. Even Sith needs a confidant, someone without much of an opinion."

"And you think you qualify?" Ryou asked with a laugh, and surprisingly, Shimbou laughed as well. The man was known for being honest, and had a hard time keeping things to himself. He shrugged.

"In any case, I'm willing to try," he replied, and Ryou nodded, "So, if it's not you she's tied to, who's the lucky man?" Ryou bit his lip, not quite sure what to say. He had assumed that title went to Mello, but ever since Sith's plans had been laid, he had seen little of the blonde man, and had occasionally seen Xemnas in the older woman's employ. He even wondered if Mello had stayed in this world.

"I'm not sure, but he's kind to her," Ryou assured the older boy. Shimbou glanced a moment, wary of the fact that this didn't bother Ryou much. Then he simply let it pass. A lot must have happened in the few weeks since he'd been in town, and he knew someday, Ryou would explain it to him.

They entered Kaiba Corp unbothered, and found that the usual guards had been put back to their posts. For the past several weeks, Sith requested only the Organization's security, and Kaiba had heeded her judgment accordingly. Now, however, something had changed, and Ryou found himself curious as to why. Sith wasn't recovered yet, though she grew stronger by the day. Something must have pushed her to rush forward. Walking to the desk, he addressed the guard immediately before him. It had been the very one who once guarded Maximillion Pegasus, and the years had done nothing for his surly look.

"Excuse me, does Sith Winchester still reside here?" Ryou asked quietly. The guard stared down at him for a moment, and did not even look in the database to find out. He crossed his massive arms and grunted, pointing his chin to the elevator.

"She does, but she'll be leaving soon," the guard told him gruffly, and Ryou found himself shocked, "Something about 'forces of magic,' and things I don't care for." Ryou's lips thinned, and similarly, Shimbou grew grim as well. They looked to each other.

"Let's go," Ryou said, but when he went to make a run, the guard grabbed his arm, halting him.

"Kaiba requested that she isn't disturbed," the guard said, and Ryou's eyes widened in rage. Kaiba had no idea what he was doing, if he denied Ryou an audience with Sith.

"This is urgent!" Ryou argued forcibly, brows creasing in agitation, "I am Ryou Bakura, one of her closest friends! You must let me through!" The guard didn't yield, however, and Ryou was at a loss. Then, unexpectedly, Shimbou leapt up, smashing his head hard against the guard's jaw, which cracked audibly. The guard gave a moan, and fell to the floor, his grip on Ryou's arm going limp.

"Ryou, get to her!" Shimbou called, and Ryou broke free. He heard an alarm going off shortly after, and knowing the elevator could easily be stopped, he made for the stairwell. Up and up he ran, and he heard shuffling behind him. He was being pursued, and only the fact that he was fast allowed him to reach the fifth floor, get inside, and lock the door behind him before he felt three guards trying to break it down. He had only a few moments to find Sith.

She was still in her room when Ryou located it, and she was standing now, something Ryou hadn't seen since before she had been struck. Dressed in her sleeveless overcoat and armored suit, it was hard to imagine she had been bedridden for the past few weeks; her skin was still pale, but she no longer looked ghastly or frail, and the exhaustion in her face vanished. Zealacht was on her hip, and so was a gun that he hadn't remembered her ever owning. And when he entered, she was packing a bag full of potions, materials, herbs, and essentials she would need. She did not turn around to see him.

"Ryou?" she called, and he nodded, "Hello, my friend. I suppose you've heard." Ryou realized Sith had no idea he had come for a visit, not to say goodbye. Something indeed happened, and he saw that neither Saix nor Xemnas were with her. Nor was Aeon, and the three had become as close as guard dogs to her.

"Heard of what?" Ryou asked her firmly, "Sith, where on earth is everyone?" At this, Sith stopped and finally looked over at him. She was more or less annoyed, but her face softened as she beheld his confusion. She turned back to her bag.

"Rath has moved far sooner than I thought," Sith told him grimly, and Ryou paled, "She has figured out, more or less, the same things I've concluded concerning the final sword, and Aeon informed me that time has been breached. She is already searching, and I fear to think she has found it!" Ryou let out a sigh of horror. Rath was already three steps ahead, and Sith wasn't even prepared for her journey. No wonder everyone was gone. His brows creased again.

"So you must leave immediately," he said, and Sith nodded, closing and locking her bag.

"I'm afraid so," the Esper said, and turned again to face him, "Ryou… I am sorry that you cannot join me. This is a fight I cannot possibly allow you to face." Ryou nodded, already understanding that his mortality and lack of ability made him more of a hindrance than a help. His place was better here.

"As long as you're not alone, I'm fine," he told her honestly, and she smiled weakly.

"Mello is already searching the ruins of Nesce for some clue," she explained, and Ryou saw now why Mello had been absent, "Aeon and Xemnas are preparing the Corridors of Darkness to take us back in time, hopefully to where I was shortly before the sword disappeared." Ryou swallowed, hoping that would be enough to at least hold Rath off for some time. Sith grabbed her bag, and then pulled Ryou into a hug, saying, "And as for myself, I make way for Pier Six." Ryou pulled away, and stared at her.

"Pier Six?" he repeated curiously.

"We need to do this in a place with little interaction, lest Aeon's power falters," Sith explained quickly, her eyes glinting as she spoke, "Pier Six is mostly abandoned and will suit this need perfectly." Ryou did _not_ like this consideration, and almost thought to protest. But Sith was more than able to defend herself, and he knew he wasn't likely to sway her another way. He nodded, and took her hand.

"I wish you luck, Sith," he said earnestly, "Be careful out there."

"Be alert, Ryou Bakura," Sith said cryptically, her own way of saying farewell, "Though this world is safe, darkness is always a step away, and your sword is still very much a necessity in this war. If it should fall into Rath's hands, we will be finished." Ryou promised to protect the sword, and with his word, Sith was gone. She had no time to exit properly, and so she leapt through the open window, and her one wing spread to allow her to descend slowly, without harm. Ryou watched her go until he no longer saw her. Then, he heard Shimbou coming in behind him. He stopped as he looked upon the open window, the curtain swaying in the breeze.

"Did… did we come too late?" the older boy asked, but Ryou shook his head and remained silent. Then he glanced at his friend.

"No. She left just a moment ago," Ryou replied quietly, distantly. This was it, he told himself, this was how she'd depart. It was so quick, yet so sincere, it almost hurt him to think she might not be back. Yet he knew this was something she would've had to do eventually, and he did not let it anger him. He sighed, knowing his resolution would give like the tides of magic had done.

"What now?" Shimbou asked him as they both looked out the window, to the horizon ahead. The sky was bright and blue, the perfect spring awakening as the sun shined high in the sky. Yet it only mirrored the sadness Ryou felt as he noted the lack of cloud or bird. In truth, he had no answer.

"Now we protect what Sith gave to us," Ryou said grimly, as he saw Yugi and Bakura arriving at the courtyard, "She is the reason our world still turns. We need to learn to keep it that way without her help." Shimbou agreed as he nodded his assent. His eyes narrowed as he considered that task. The Espers couldn't do it, not without Sith to lead them through. How could humans fare?

"Magic eventually fades, but there's always some source to replace what's lost," Shimbou said, and it sounded vaguely like something Sith had said, once, "We can't rely on the Espers forever, and I think that's what Sith was trying to say, way back when on the bridge to Kaiba's dueling dome. Now it's time to see if her belief was right." Ryou remembered those words clearly, for at the time, he had shunned them and had even wanted to silence Sith for them. But Shimbou was right. They had to know if they could do it.

"Do you feel she was wrong?" Ryou asked him, and Shimbou shook his head.

"She wouldn't have left if she didn't trust us to do it," the boy replied honestly. Ryou looked at him, hearing the tone to his friend's voice. It was resolute, and he had full trust in Sith's judgment. Even Yami, who had known her for some time, never completely defended her ideas or theories when it came to his world. It surprised Ryou, and made him wonder why that was. Shimbou had been so far removed from this aspect of their lives, to even understand this much worried Ryou.

"You know she'll be right, don't you?" Ryou asked him, and Shimbou grinned a bit. Ryou turned to face him fully, and narrowed his eyes as he studied his friend. He had never truly seen Shimbou's face - the boy rarely looked at Ryou squarely – but now he saw something that he had never seen before. Shimbou resembled Sith. His brows were the same slenderness, and he had the same straight nose as her. He had never noticed, because Shimbou hadn't wanted him to. Now, however, some sort of veil had lifted.

"Who are you?" he asked, unable to believe this was the same man he had been in high school with, had even gone to college with before Amber's vicious assault. Shimbou had even mentioned a brother and a mother in this world!

"You want the entire truth?" Shimbou asked, and Ryou nodded furiously. He had a feeling he knew the answer, but he had to clarify. It'd make sense, why Shimbou had been there only when it truly counted, in the face of the Mystics.

"All right then, Ryou," Shimbou said, and sat on the bed, "I told you once I had a family, and this is very true. I do, but I never said they were in this world, even from this time. I just said I had them." Ryou found himself growing agitated. Why Shimbou had never mentioned this, or why he had never seen it himself, he couldn't begin to guess.

"So you're not human," Ryou concluded, and Shimbou nodded.

"I'm like Sith. I'm an Esper," Shimbou told him, "An Esper who only changes form at certain times. That's why I look human, and it's how I got into school. My powers aren't very magical; I can't cast spells like she can, but I'm stronger and much faster." That made no sense to Ryou. If Shimbou was an Esper, how did Sith not know? She could easily pick out any Esper within the area, as well as Chesier and Mystic as well. How on earth did she skip Shimbou?

"E-Espers only cast spells, Shimbou," Ryou reminded him, but it sounded feeble in his own ears. Now Shimbou grinned a bit more, and shook his head.

"Not when your father's not an Esper," he replied. Ryou felt himself freeze. He stared deep into Shimbou's eyes, trying to figure out just what he was being told. But the boy was unreadable, as much as Sith was. Shimbou continued, "You've met both of my parents, though it was before I was born. Look at me, and you can see them both." Ryou did. He saw Sith very clearly, though it was through the expression of a smug man, not a stern woman. He saw only one of Shimbou's eyes were green; the other was golden. He saw Shimbou had cat ears, though they were tiny and were not visible through his black hair.

"Do you see them, Ryou?" Shimbou asked, "I was separated from time when I met Aeon and stole his watch. It was just a prank. He was a friend of my mother's, and I thought it'd be funny to do." Ryou could guess the rest of the story. He snorted.

"And you used it, and it brought you here," he concluded. Shimbou nodded, blushing in embarrassment as he held up the silver watch. It was ancient, from what Ryou saw, but he heard it ticking.

"I can't use it. No one will remember me, not now that I've been severed from time," Shimbou said, "So, I made my life here. Imagine my shock when I saw my mother. Imagine it further when she was with a man who was _not_ my father. I thought 'well, maybe I was adopted.' But I remember my father clearly. You aren't him, and neither is Mello." Ryou blinked, very long and very hard. He didn't need to know who Shimbou's family was, but he pretty much concluded Sith was it. Now it made sense, why he had helped her when Amber had attacked this world. It made sense, why he had visited her here, why he had helped her when Rath possessed her, why none of it scared him off. Ryou could only stare. His best friend was not only his friend. Shimbou saw it all click in. He nodded.

"My actual name is Victor Winchester," Shimbou told him, "Sith Winchester is my mother, ten years from now." Ryou backed away. Ten years. Sith would be a mother in ten years. But… how could he believe that _Shimbou_ was her son? How did he keep such a façade for so long?

"Prove it," Ryou blurted out, before he could stop himself. Shimbou… no. Victor just smiled at him. He didn't have to, but he held out a pendant. It was a roman cross with bat wings on it, with an azure stone in the center. It was Sith's pendant, and Ryou could feel her energy in it. That was enough. Quietly, he asked, "Why?"

"I can't be sure if I'll ever come to exist, now that I've helped save my own mother's life," Victor told him, pocketing the pendant, "Even if that were to happen… she's still my mother. And my father… he deserves to live, too. That's why I'm telling you, now, Ryou. I'm going to help them." Ryou couldn't quite see how. Sith had left already, and had no idea Victor had planned this or was even who he was now claiming to be. Helping her might just ruin her own plan. Unless, of course, Victor knew of those plans already.

"What do you plan to do?" Ryou asked him. Victor grinned again. He had just shown Ryou the tool needed.

"_We_ are going to go and find the sword before my mother does," Victor replied slyly, and then softened, "You… would help, wouldn't you?" Ryou hummed for a moment, and then he nodded. Victor, Shimbou, it didn't matter who this man was. He was still Ryou's friend, was still the same goofball who had gotten them both into more jams in school than anyone deemed necessary. And now he was Sith's son, and that made Ryou feel more compelled than ever to remain close to him.

"Of course, Vic," Ryou said honestly. Victor clapped him on the shoulder, and they looked out of the window again. Neither knew just how they would go about Victor's plan, or even what that plan actually was. But they had each other, they were still friends, and while Sith was out slaying the demons before them, they would find a way to help her. And when Rath came next, they would be ready for it.

-----------------------------(End Story)

And so Sith has left Ryou's world, searching the streams of time for the final Sword of Mercy. Before he even has time to figure out what to do in her absence, Ryou finds himself face to face with, not only his old friend, but Sith's son from nearly thirty years into the future. Shimbou has his own reason for hiding this fact, but with his mother finally moving to defeat Rath, he now knows his time for hiding has ended. What are his plans, and what help can Ryou give to him? What help can they achieve for Sith? Find out what happens in the newest installment to Ryou's saga in the first chapter to Ryou Bakura: Time Master, and click that Review button!


End file.
